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Partisan Life 


WITH 

- c P \ 

- S 

Col. John S. Mosby. 


BY 

Major John Scott, 

Of Fauquier , late C.S.A. 

AUTHOR OF “THE LOST PRINCIPLE” AND “LETTERS TO AN OFFICER IN 

THE ARMY.” 


portraits anti 25ngrabtnfls on 


“Historic truth ought to be no less sacred than religion.’ 




Ccesar. 



NEW YORK: 

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN SQUARE. 

1867 . 


I 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred 

and sixty-seven, by 

HARPER & BROTHERS, 

In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. 








VS 

\ '0 



DEDICATION. 


TO 

MRS. GENERAL HOWARD, 
MRS. J. HANSON THOMAS, 
MRS. JOHN H. B. LATROBE, 
MRS. JAMES HODGES, 

MRS. SAMUEL K. GEORGE, 
MRS. A. DUBOIS EGERTON, 
MRS. ROBERT H. CARR, 

MRS. RICHARD NORRIS, Jr., 
MRS. THOS. MURDOCH, 

MRS. BULLOCK, 

MRS. DR. C. JOHNSTON, 

MRS. CHARLES HOFFMAN, 
MRS. CHARLES J. BAKER, 
MRS. LURMAN, 

MRS. RYAN, 

MRS. ANDREW REID, 

MRS. PEYTON HARRISON, 

MRS. C. HUGHES ARMISTEAD, 
MRS. J. S. GITTINGS, 

MRS. CHARLES HOWARD, 
MRS. WM. GEO. READ, 

MRS. ISABELLA BROWN, 

MRS. THOS. T. HUTCHINS, 
MRS. GEO. PATTERSON, 

MRS. WM. HENRY NORRIS, 
MRS. E. LAW ROGERS, 


MRS. DR. JAS. A. STUART, 
MRS. GEO. W. WEBB, 

MRS. E. M. GREENWAY, 

MRS. BENJ. F. CATOR, 

MRS. J. HARMAN BROWN, 
MRS. JOHN MERRYMAN, 

MRS. T. PARKIN SCOTT, 

MRS. GEO. M. GILL, 

MRS. R. H. MITCHELL, 

MRS. THOS. C. JENKINS, 

MRS. NEALE, 

MRS. MATHIAS, 

MRS. WM. R. HODGES, 

MRS. CHARLES TIERNAN, 
MRS. SAMUEL W. SMITH, 

MRS. BAYARD SMITH, 

MRS. JAMES WILSON, 

MRS. WINN, 

MISS EMILY HARPER, 

MISS DORA HOFFMAN, 

MISS FRICK, 

MISS MARY GRACE, 

MISS LAURA ROBINSON, 

MISS FLORENCE PATTERSON, 
MISS LOUISA HOFFMAN, 

MISS NANNIE HOWARD, 


Qlnb Oliver Noble Cables of Baltimore. 

As a testimonial not unworthy of the noble sympathy which, 
during the late war, under the most trying circumstances, you dis¬ 
played for the cause of justice and truth, I dedicate to you the history 
of one of the most brilliant and devoted heroes which those stormy 
times produced— Mosby —a young man who, rising by the native 
force of genius and courage from the obscure position of a private 



Vlll 


Dedication. 


soldier, with a command of his own creation, at no time numbering 
more than a few hundred kindred spirits, planted himself in a district 
abandoned to the occupation of the enemy, and, besides capturing a 
multitude of prisoners and destroying many millions of public prop¬ 
erty, kept in a defensive attitude, according to their own admission, 
thirty-five thousand of their troops, which would otherwise have 
been employed on the active theatre of war. But this was not all. 
More than once, with his band of followers, he compelled the 
invading armies to relinquish actual and projected lines of commu. 
nication, to fall back from advanced positions, and if we may credit 
the assertion of the Federal Secretary of War, occasioned the loss 
by the enemy of an important battle. 

Such deeds deserve the pen of History; and when recorded on her 
scrolls—though in a manner far below the merit of the subject or the 
dignity of this occasion—are worthy to be laid at your feet, ladies 
of Baltimore. 

This mode of defensive warfare, as original as it proved effective, 
deserves to be understood both in its principles and details, the mode 
of execution in war, as in every other practical science, being of the 
first importance to success. With this object kept constantly in 
view, I have observed a great particularity in the relation of what 
may appear to some minor details, as they constitute a part of the 
system of defensive warfare which it is the purpose of this book to 
develop and explain. 

By the advocates of rectitude and justice in every age and country, 
by all the lovers of good and haters of evil, let this matchless chief 
be remembered, for he has invented, and in arms developed, a mode 
by which, in a more auspicious era, mankind may be enabled to 
defend their homes and their altars against those wasting and bloody 
conquerors who murder the independence of nations. 

My advantages in composing this work have been unusual; my 
diligence has been great, but it remains for you to declare the 
measure of success. 

Respectfully, 

JOHN SCOTT, 

of Fauquier, late C. S. A. 


PREFACE. 


As soon as the surrender of the army of General Lee 
rendered it probable that the sanguinary contest which 
for four years had raged between the hostile sections was 
about to be brought to a close, and it was understood that 
I was to undertake the laborious task of writing the his¬ 
tory of the Partisan Battalion, its origin, its growth, its 
exploits, I set about collecting the facts which were to ^ 
compose my checkered narrative. Of these, very imper¬ 
fect records had been kept, and they had to be obtained 
by interrogating the memories of the actors in the scenes 
which I proposed to commemorate. 

I had conceived and drafted the Partisan Banger Law, 
shown it to Secretary Bandolph, and, with his approba¬ 
tion, had carried it before the Joint Military Committee 
of the two houses of Congress, whose chairman was Mr. 
Miles, of South Carolina. I found the table of the com¬ 
mittee covered with all kinds of projects relating to the 
irregular service. Mine was preferred by the committee, 
reported to the two houses, and, without debate, became 
a law. Colonel Mosby has often told me that upon that 
basis rested the superstructure which he afterward reared, 
and that it was but just that I should write the history 
of the command which vindicated the correctness of the 
principles of the Partisan Banger Law. The principle ot 
that law is but the application of the prize principle of 



X 


Preface . . 

nautical warfare to land war, yet it was one, I believe, 
wliicli liad not been made before. 

Amid the many failures which occurred in the Confed¬ 
erate service in the application of this law, Mosby alone 
brought to the work all the high equalities necessary to 
command success and write his name so high upon the 
column of Fame. 

I was born in the district of country which constituted 
his field of exploits, and have, in consequence of a familiar 
and wide-spread acquaintance with its inhabitants, enjoy¬ 
ed peculiar advantages in collecting from them incidents 
and anecdotes with which to enrich and enliven my pages. 
Regarding my task in the light of a trust, I set about its 
.execution with a diligence which has not deserted me at 
any time. My mode was to visit all the officers and men 
of the command to whom I had access, and from their lips 
to obtain full accounts of all they did, or knew to be done. 
These accounts, under aq:>propriate headings, I reduced to 
writing, until my notes had increased to many volumes. 
From many of the officers and men of the Battalion whom 
I could not visit, I received voluminous notes, which, to¬ 
gether with the facts and explanations furnished by the 
Partisan chief himself, have enabled me to compose a full 
and authentic history. To enable me the more perfectly 
to attain this end, I resided in Colonel Mosby’s family for 
some time, and from that central point rode with him to 
inspect the most interesting localities. The following 
letter, addressed to me by him, will display to the reader 
the lively interest which he took in the prosecution of my 
work, and how ready, at all times, he was to render me 
assistance. The intimate association which thence ensued 


XI 


• Preface. 

enabled me, by a strong and steady light, to peruse that 
great man’s character and discover the springs of those 
actions with which he astonished friend and confounded 
foe. 

“ Leesburg. January 10th, 1866. 

“Dear Major, —The bearer of this letter is James G. Wiltshire, 
who was a lieutenant in my command. He visits you at my re¬ 
quest, that you may avail yourself of the fund of anecdote and ad¬ 
venture which he possesses—for his dash and spirit of enterprise 
led him to participate in all the prominent events connected with 
the command in which he could, with truth and propriety, say, 
4 Quorum magna pars fuV 

“ I have no doubt but that he will add much to your stock of in¬ 
formation. I am very anxious for you to accompany him to Clarke 
and Jefferson, for I consider it all-important to the success of yoi 
work that there should be great accuracy in the description of 1 
calities which you expect to make historical. You must, by 
means, see John Russell, who lives near Berryville, for he saw 
service than any man in the command, as he always acted as guid 
in the Yalley. I have just received a letter from him saying he 
was anxious to see you. Russell and Wiltshire could make every 
thing plain to you ; besides, you could see a great many persons 
whom you could put on inquiry to assist you. You must, by all 
means, go to Charlestown, and visit my charming friends at the 
Bower ; also those at the Vineyard, near Berryville, where you will 
meet with John Esten Cooke. George Saddler, of Charlestown, 
can supply you with a good stock of anecdote. He was in my con¬ 
fidence, is a man of great shrewdness, and exerted himself to get 
information for me. Your book can not be complete without see¬ 
ing him. You must make a visit to Duffield Station, to see how we 
gathered them there; to Berryville, to see how we mauled them 
there; to Cabletown, where Richards destroyed Blazer; to Millwood. 

“ By making one such visit, you will put every body to thinking 
and remembering what they know of us. You may depend upon 
it, you will find this unexplored country an El Dorado. 

“ I am now in Leesburg, under arrest. I was ordered yesterday, 



Xll 


Preface. • 

by the commanding officer here, to report by what authority I was 
in Leesburg. I reported ‘that I had been in the habit of coming 
here for two years, and didn’t know any body that had a better 
right.’ He put me under arrest, and I am now paroled to the lim¬ 
its of the town, to await orders from Winchester. If I am released, 
as soon as I get to housekeeping come down and make my house 
your home. Yours, truly, John S. Mosby. 

“ Major John Scott.” 

With the mass of information thus accumulated, I re¬ 
tired, toward the close of the summer of 1866 , to compose 
my varied narrative, having been delayed in its execution 
by frequent indispositions and one violent attack of ill¬ 
ness. 

Before I conclude this* preface, it is only just to say that 
the names of many members of the Battalion, of signal 
merit, do not appear in this book, for the sufficient reason 
that they were not associated in a particular manner with 
events, the relation of which would add variety to my 
page; or, to borrow Mosby’s language, “ You could not 
call the roll in every tight.” 

Truth is the religion of the historian, and I feel con¬ 
scious that I have not been governed by partiality or 
prejudice, and that if I have not adorned, at least I have 
not dishonored the shrine of the Historic Muse by the 
most odious of all vices—falsehood. 

The Author. 

Philadelphia, May 14th, 1867. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

How Mosby became a Partisan.—His favorite Theory.—His original Command con¬ 


sisted of only nine men.Page 19 

CHAPTER II. 

Raid on Percy Wyndham’s Outposts.—John Underwood, the Guide. 21 

CHAPTER III. 

Colonel Wyndham foiled in his Scheme to capture Mosby.—Reply of the Partisan 
Chief to the Appeals of the Citizens to abandon his Mode of Warfare. 24 

CHAPTER IV. 

Mosby saved from Capture by Miss Laura Ratcliffe. 29 

CHAPTER V. 

Adventui'es of Ames, the Deserter from the Union Army.—“Mosby’s Conglomer¬ 
ates” . 32 

CHAPTER VI. 

Daring personal Exploits.—A hand-to-hand Combat. 38 

CHAPTER VII. 


Gen. Stoughton’s Capture by Mosby.—His first Compliment from Gen. Stuart.. 43 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Capture of the Pickets at Herndon Station.—Strategy of Jake, the Hungarian... 53 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Chantilly Raid.—“Hurrah for Mosby ; I wish I had a hundred like him.” — 
The first Fight at Dranesville. 59 

CHAPTER X. 

More individual Exploits.—Desperate Fight of Ames and the Hatcher Brothers... 70 

CHAPTER XI. 

General Stahl’s Efforts to capture Mosby foiled.—The Partisan Chief nearly cap¬ 


tured by Accident. 77 

CHAPTER XII. 

Severe Fight at Warrenton Junction.—Mosby compelled to retreat. 84 

CHAPTER XIII. 


Mosby again defeated near Catlett’s Station.—A good price in Blood for a Mount¬ 
ain Howitzer. 91 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Fight at Frying-pan Church.—A Justification of Bushwhacking. 96 














XIV 


Contents. 


chapter xv. 

Mosby’s Adventures in the Union Lines.—Seeking for Information.Page 101 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Adventures and Fights of the Partisan Battalion between the Lines of the oppos¬ 
ing Armies. 108 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Capture of a Wagon-load of Ice-cream.—Destruction of several Trains. 114 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Mosby’s Chaplain.—“Grog and more Grog.”—The necessary Qualifications of a 
Partisan Chaplain. 122 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Colonel Dulaney’s Capture.—Raiding around Alexandria. 140 

CHAPTER XX. 

“The Billy Smith Raid.”—Better fun than Fox-hunting in England. 150 

CHAPTER XXI. 

An exciting Chase after Mosby.—He is saved through the Heroism of a Lady... 161 

• 

CHAPTER XXII. 

The Chaplain’s Account of his Visit to Baltimore, and the Aid and Comfort he re¬ 
ceived there. 167 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Union Camp at Harper’s Ferry surprised.—Death of Tom Turner. 177 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

More of the Chaplain’s Eccentricities.—He takes a Hand in a Stag Dance.—Social 
Life among the Rangers. 185 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Defeat of Major Cole and Dispersion of Captain Reid’s Command. 197 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

“Mosby’s Confederacy.”—Its Military Boundaries.—“ Sparing” a Sutler. 204 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Mosby’s Mode of conducting Elections.—The Freedom of the Ballot-box.—Scout¬ 
ing for Information. 209 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Surprise of a Picket Guard.—Two Horses apiece.—Destruction of Grant’s Rail¬ 
road. 216 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

General Hunter’s Expedition.—Mosby’s Raids upon its Rear-guard.—How Hunter 
desolated the Valley and protected his Trains. 226 

CHAPTER XXX. 

The First “Calico Raid.”—Mosby not in the “Dry-goods Trade.”—His indignant 
Reply to a Lady who wished to purchase his Spoils. 233 

















Contents. 


xv 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

The “Great Calico Raid” to Point of Rocks.—Fight at Mt. Zion Church..Page 238 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Raiding in Maryland.—Lieutenant Glasscock’s Capture of ten Men.—Mosby’s “Chief 
of the Corn Detail”. 250 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

More of the social Life of the Guerrillas.—A Lecture on Love.—The Lecturer’s Prin¬ 


ciples fail on practical Application. 258 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Mosby operating against Phil Sheridan. 271 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

Another “Masked” Election.—Farther Operations on General Sheridan’s Commu¬ 
nications. 279 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 

“Plenty of Game,” but not easily caught.—Lieutenant Nelson finds more than a 
Match in Captain Blazer. 28G 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

The Adamstow'n Raid.—Robbing a good Southern Man by Mistake.—The Band 
made to “disgorge”. 293 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Mosby “goes through” the Yankees.—Defeat of Captains Fleming and Minimum, 
of the 13th New York Cavalry. 298 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Daring Adventures of Wat Bowie.—His many narrow Escapes from Capture... 305 


CHAPTER XL. 

The “Hanging Raid.”—Hominy Hollow, “from which Yankee Visitors never re¬ 
turned alive.”—Execution of Six of Mosby’s Men. 315 

CHAPTER XLI. 

Adventures of Ogg, the Scout, in Prison and out of it.—Heroism of Mrs Scott and 
her little Boy.—“The Lily”. 321 

CHAPTER XLII. 

The “Greenback Raid.”—Burning of the Railroad Train.—A singular Mode for 
making Federal Officers do their Duty. 334 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

John Orrick’s Adventures in a Federal Prison. 342 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

Capture of General Duffie.—General Sheridan’s Pass not good in “Mosby’s Confed¬ 
eracy”. 348 

CHAPTER XLV. 

Retaliatory Measures.—Execution of Seven of General Custer’s Men. 355 















XVI 


Contents. 


CHAPTER XLVI. 

Defeat and Capture of Captain Blazer.Page 364 

CHAPTER XLVII. 

Devastation of the Valley.—Eire and Sword in “Mosby’s Confederacy”. 374 

CHAPTER XLVIII. 

Adventures of Bush Underwood, the Guide.—Mosby’s Strategy and Escape from 
Capture by feigning Sickness. 381 

CHAPTER XLIX. 

How Mosby conducted his Campaign.—An Explanation of Partisan Warfare... 390 

CHAPTER L. 

The Chaplain’s Adventures.—His masterly Retreat from a Squad of his own 


men. 399 

CHAPTER LI. 

Prison Experiences of Mosby’s Men.—Tom Richards’s Statement.—John Munson’s 
Story. 417 

CHAPTER LII. 

Mosby’s early Life and Character.—Shoots a Fellow-student at Sixteen.—A Vol¬ 
unteer for the War. 429 

CHAPTER LIII. 

“The Coffee Raid.”—Eight at Mount Carmel. 443 

CHAPTER LIV. 

The “ Galt House” and “Harmony” Fights. 453 

CHAPTER LV. 

Gallantry of Lieutenant Ferris of the Union Army.—Chapman’s Visit to the “North¬ 
ern Neck”. 459 

CHAPTER LVI. 

Negotiations for the Surrender.—The last Parade of Mosby’s Battalion.—Farewell 
Address of Colonel Mosby.—Disbandment of the Battalion. 470 


APPENDIX. 

Account of Private M‘Cue’s Imprisonment.—Description of the Shenandoah Valley. 

—The Conquered Banner.—Reply to the “Conquered Banner.”—Gettysburg._ 

Somebody’s Darling.—Early and Mosby.—A Statement corrected. 479 















MAP OF MOSBY S CONFEDERACY. 
















































X. 












. 








* 



• 1 






















































X 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

portrait OF mosby. Frontispiece. 

MAP. 

“close on them, men!”. 37 

HAND-TO-HAND FIGHT BETWEEN TURNER AND WORTHINGTON. 41 

CAPTURE OF GENERAL STOUGHTON. 47 

THE PARTISANS’ FIRST RETREAT. 87 

PLUNDERING THE RAILROAD TRAIN AT CATLETT’S STATION. 93 

CAPTAIN FOSTER. 98 

TAIL-PIECE FOR CHAPTER XVI. 113 

MOSBY AMONG THE WAGON-TRAINS. 117 

MOSBY’S CHAPLAIN AT HISf DEVOTIONS. 124 

TAIL-PIECE FOR CHAPTER XVIII. 139 

CAPTAIN SMITH. 142 

TAIL-PIECE FOR CHAPTER XIX. 149 

HEAD-PIECE FOR CHAPTER XX. 150 

BARON VON MASSOW. 154 

MISS ROBERTA P. 164 

TOM TURNER DYING. 181 

THE PARSON’S STAG DANCE. 196 

CAPTAIN MOUNTJOY. 210 

DESTROYING THE RAILROAD IN GRANT’S REAR. 221 

GENERAL HUNTER’S HOUSE-BURNERS. AT THEIR WORK. 228 

POINT OF ROCKS, HARPER’S FERRY. 240 

TAIL-PIECE FOR CHAPTER XXXI. 249 

THE LECTURE ON LOVE. 262 

DULCEBENIETTA. 268 

CAPTAIN CHAPMAN. 271 

MOSBY “GOING THROUGH ’em”. 301 

CAPTAIN FRANKLAND. 306 

ESCAPE OF OGG FROM THE YANKEE CAMP. 323 

MRS. SCOTT AND HER BOY SAVING THE HOUSE FROM THE FLAMES. 331 

“THE LILY”. 332 

THE GREENBACK RAID. 337 

THE CAPTIVES DRAWING LOTS. 358 

MAJOR A. E. RICHARDS. 370 

FIRE AND SWORD IN MOSBY’S CONFEDERACY. 377 

THE CHAPLAIN’S HASTY RETREAT. 402 

CAPTAIN GLASSCOCK. 455 

TAIL-PIECE FOR CHAPTER LIV. 458 

CAPTAIN BAYLOR. 463 

LIEUTENANT COLONEL CHAPMAN. 466 

CAPTAIN RICHARDS. 468 

THE LAST REVIEW. 475 

B 























































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PARTISAN LIFE WITH MOSBY. 


CHAPTER I. 

HOW MOSBY BECAME A PARTISAN. 

Upper Fauquier, January 2d, 1863. 

My dear Percy, —Yon have doubtless received ere 
this my letter giving an account of the decisive battle of 
Fredericksburg, accompanied by a rude drawing of the 
battle-field, which, I trust, has enabled you to appreciate 
that fight. Since that time I have accompanied the gal¬ 
lant and enterprising General Stuart from the camp of 
the Confederate army, near Fredericksburg, on an expe¬ 
dition to Dumfries, and, strangely enough, find myself 
now with a small detachment of cavalry which he has 
left behind him, under the command of Captain Mosby, 
as he is generally called, though his military rank is, I 
believe, entirely honorary. 

My acquaintance with Captain Mosby was begun in 
the earlier stages of the war, and since that time I have 
been often associated with him, particularly on some of 
the daring scouts which he has made, and which have 
excited the admiration and won the applause of General 
Lee himself. Mosby, I am sure, is a remarkable man. 
He has often explained to me in conversation a mode of 
partisan warfare which he is persuaded, if fully devel¬ 
oped, would enable the Confederate government to crip¬ 
ple the invading armies of the enemy, retard their prog- 



20 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

ress, and ultimately enable tlie opposing forces to over¬ 
whelm them with disaster. He thinks the most vul¬ 
nerable point of every invading army is in its rear—an 
opinion which he formed from his own observations on 
the communications of the Northern army. In order to 
afford a practical illustration of the value of this opin¬ 
ion, and doubtless to gratify, at the same time, his thirst 
for action, and satisfy an honorable desire for fame, he 
has proposed to General Stuart, from time to time, to al¬ 
low him to take a small detail of men, and with them to 
operate in the rear of the enemy and upon his communi¬ 
cations, but until now his proposition had met with no 
favor. 

However, as Stuart was returning from his ineffectual 
raid upon Dumfries, he called, in company with several 
of us, to make a visit to Miss Laura Ratcliffe, who resides 
near Frying-pan Church, in Fairfax County. As our 
party rose to bid this lady farewell, I was surprised and 
pleased to hear the general address her in the following 
language: 

o o 

a You are all such good Southern people through this 
section, I think you deserve some protection, so I shall 
leave Captain Mosby, with a few men, to take care of 
you. I want you to do all you can for him. He is a 
great favorite of mine and a brave soldier, and, if my 
judgment does not err, we shall soon hear something sur¬ 
prising from him.” 

We were soon again upon the march, with the column 
headed toward Middleburg, in the county of Loudon, 
on the Little River Turnpike, very near to the Fauquier 
line. I was riding alone, between the advance guard and 
the head of the column, when I was joined by Mosby, 
who, in high spirits, informed me that at last fortune had 
begun to smile on him, for Stuart had promised to leave 
him with a detail of nine men to operate on the outposts 



Mosby 1 s Raid on General Wyndliam's Outposts . 21 

and communications of tlie enemy. He invited me to 
join him, promising, as an inducement, an adventurous 
life. I consented, and am now in.Upper Fauquier, with 
Ca23tain Mosby and his nine men. 

My letters henceforth will contain but little of the 
movements of large bodies of troops, and nothing of po¬ 
litical events, but I hope to compensate you with ac¬ 
counts of skirmishes, surprises, and personal adventures. 


CHAPTER II. 

MOSBY’s RAID ON GENERAL PERCY WYNDHAM’s OUTPOSTS. 

Upper Fauquier, January 18th, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —Since the evacuation of Manassas by 
General Johnston in the spring of 1862, the enemy have 
kept at Fairfax Court-house a military force composed 
of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, as an outpost of Wash¬ 
ington City. The cavalry consists of a brigade, which is 
composed of the Fifth New York, the First Vermont, the 
Eighteenth Pennsylvania, and the First Virginia regi¬ 
ments, commanded by Colonel Percy Wyndliam, former¬ 
ly, it is said, an officer in the English army. This bri¬ 
gade maintains a chain of picket-posts, within a half mile 
of each other, from Centreville to Dranesville, and from 
that place to the Potomac River, a distance of twenty 
miles. On this line of outposts Mosby began his opera¬ 
tions. 

On the lOtli of January we started from the neighbor¬ 
hood of Middleburg for Fairfax County, and proceeded 
to the house of a farmer who lives very near to Herndon 
Station, on the Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad. As 
we approached the dwelling, Mosby observed a man pass 
rapidly out of the back door into the pines which cover 




22 Partisan Life until Mosby, 

the rear of the house with their dense growth. We 
found no little difficulty in convincing the farmer of our 
Confederate character, for in Fairfax a gray uniform often 
conceals a Yankee. As soon, however, as his doubts 
were removed, he became more cordial, and, by a peculiar 
whistle, called from the pines the man to whom I hav*) 
just referred. He seemed about thirty years of age; his 
person was short and thick-set, and he had a shock of 
white hair, which stood erect in unrestrained independ¬ 
ence. His whole appearance was that of a wild man, but 
his eyes, ever in motion, indicated watchfulness and an 
intelligent mind. His name is John Underwood, whose 
value as a guide Mosby’s penetrating eye soon discover¬ 
ed, for he is distinguished, above all other men whom I 
have known, by a wonderful faculty which enables him 
to thread with unerring certainty, in the darkest night, 
the intricate forests and tangled brushwood of the coun¬ 
try in which he lives. Without much difficulty Mosby 
prevailed upon Underwood to join him, and, being thus 
furnished with a guide, prepared at once to strike the 
enemy near Herndon Station, where they had a cavalry 
picket. 

His small command being dismounted, they were con¬ 
ducted at night to the rear of the Federals, whose forms 
were distinctly visible by the ruddy light of their camp¬ 
fire. A pistol-shot from Mosby was the signal for attack, 
and we rushed upon the picket, which was composed of 
seven men, of whom we wounded one, and captured six 
unhurt. With his prisoners and captured horses Mosby 
retreated deeper into the pines, where he paroled the 
men and divided the horses. A fine horse, with its equip¬ 
ments, w r as, together with a pair of cavalry pistols, al¬ 
lotted to his first recruit, John Underwood, who was 
overjoyed at this unexpected stroke of fortune. 

Two nights afterward, with Underwood still for our 


Mosby's Hctid on General Wyndham's Outposts. 23 

guide, our leader, with the same party, started in search 
of other game, which he found a few miles from Herndon 
Station, where Cub Hun flows across the Little River 
Turnpike. Our former mode of attack was adopted, the 
picket being surprised and captured from the rear, the 
two vedettes alone effecting their escape. Five prisoners 
and as many horses, with cavalry equipments, rewarded 
this enterprise. 

Not content with this success, Mosby determined to 
signalize the night by still another. At Frying-pan 
Church there was a cavalry picket of ten men, who had 
already been apprised, as we afterward learned, of our 
presence in the neighborhood. We found two of their 
number posted as vedettes, while the others were asleep 
in a small house hard by, with a sentinel stationed at the 
door. When he had arrived within a few hundred yards 
of this place, Mosby ordered his prisoners to dismount 
and stretch themselves on the ground. Their horses 
were then led away and concealed in the woods. This 
done, he left one man to guard the prisoners, while with 
the rest of his party he approached the picket-post from 
the direction of the Federal camp. The sentinel, taking 
us for a patrol, allowed us to come within a few steps of 
the house before he gave the order to halt. Mosby then 
ordered the house to be surrounded and pistols to be fired 
through the thin weather-boarding upon the inmates. 
Our shots were returned, and one of the assailants, in a 
loud tone, ordered up the infantry—a stale and childish 
device, as our leader appeared to think, for he called to 
the Yankees that his party was not larger than their own, 
but, at the same time, demanded an unconditional sur¬ 
render. It was at once made, and we returned in triumph 
to Loudoun County, taking with us our twofold captures, 
amounting to thirteen prisoners and a corresponding num¬ 
ber of cavalry horses, with their equipments. 


24 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

The next morning onr party, re-enforced by tbe pris¬ 
oners, took breakfast at the liotel in Middleburg, and 
soon after the latter were paroled and dismissed to their 
friends, highly pleased with the indulgent manner in 
which they had been treated. The horses and arms were 
then divided among the captors. 

I regret to addpas a concluding paragraph to my let¬ 
ter, that we have to return to the army, for Mosby yes¬ 
terday informed me that, not feeling authorized to keep 
the detail longer on this detached service, he had ordered 
the men to return to their command, while in person he 
would report to General Stuart the result of his recent 
operations. I was not aware until then of the temporary 
nature of our stay in this district, and feel sadly disap¬ 
pointed at this abrupt termination of our partisan service. 


CHAPTER III. 

COLONEL WYNDHAM DRIVEN OUT OF MIDDLEBURG. 

Upper Fauquier, February 8th, 18G3. 

Dear Percy, —You will be surprised to receive a let¬ 
ter from me dated again from Upper Fauquier, for, con¬ 
trary to expectation, Mosby is here again on detached 
service in rear of the enemy. 

As soon as we reached the cavalry head-quarters, near 
Fredericksburg, Mosby proceeded at once to Stuart’s tent, 
where he recounted his performances since they had part¬ 
ed at Middleburg. The general was so well pleased at 
the recital that, General L. Armistead coming in, he re¬ 
quested the enterprising scout to repeat the account, and 
then ordered him to retire to the office of his adjutant 
general, and make a full report in writing. 

• Mosby then said to Stuart that, with a detail of fifteen 



Colonel Wyndham Driven out of Middleburg. 25 

cavalry, lie would undertake, in two months’ time, to com¬ 
pel the enemy in Fairfax to abandon their advance line 
of outposts, and give up ten miles of country. 

“Very well,” said the general, a let it be so; “we will 
destroy them in detail.” 

The future now loomed up before Mosby, and he felt, 
he said, like Columbus when, having been often repulsed, 
he obtained, from the favor of Queen Isabella, three small 
ships with which to explore the mysterious deep, and de¬ 
velop the idea over which he had so long brooded. 

On the 18th of January, with a detail of fifteen men 
from the First Virginia Cavalry, then camped at King 
William Court-house, Mosby started again for Upper Fau¬ 
quier, and, crossing the Rappahannock at Fox’s Mill, we 
soon arrived at Warrenton. As our little band marched 
through the town, we were stopped by the citizens, who 
expressed surprise when they heard that we had come to 
make war, for, they said, we resembled rather the retinue 
of an embassador, or a company of missionaries, than a 
band of warriors. After leaving Warrenton the com¬ 
mand was dispersed, with orders to rendezvous on the 
28th instant at Mount Zion Church, on the Little River 
Turnpike, a mile and a half east of Aldie. This interval 
of eight days was not, however, wasted by Mosby; for, 
while his men and horses were being recruited at the 
houses of citizens, he himself was occupied in collecting 
information about the position of the enemy, and in gain¬ 
ing a more accurate knowledge of the country in which 
his operations are to be carried on. 

In pursuance of orders, the command met Mosby, and 
marched down the Little River Turnpike, but turned in 
the direction of Frying-pan Church, where we captured a 
patrol of two men, and then proceeded toward Old Chan¬ 
tilly Church, where we regained the turnpike. At the 
church was stationed a picket ot nine men from the 


26 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Eighteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, which our leader de¬ 
termined to attack. 

Covering his movements by the pines, he formed his 
men, and moved cautiously forward, for, contrary to his 
former plan of attack, he decided to assail the picket in 
front. Taking with him one man, Mosby dashed forward 
and captured the two vedettes without resistance. The 
command then charged the reserve, using at the same 
time their revolvers. The fight w T as a short one, and 
bloodless but for the wounding of one man, who was shot 
by Mosby when attempting to make his escape. With 
eleven prisoners, and their arms, horses, and equipments, 
we returned in high spirits to Middleburg, where, as be¬ 
fore, the prisoners were paroled and the spoil divided. 

Roused by our assaults upon his outposts, Colonel 
Wyndham,witli a body of two hundred cavalry, pursued 
us the following day, and arrived at night at Middle¬ 
burg, denouncing, on his march, vengeance against the 
guerrillas and their adventurous chief, as well as against 
the citizens among whom they found aid and protection. 
As Wyndham drew near to the town he passed the house 
of Mr. Lor man Chancellor, at which Mosby and his de¬ 
voted friend Beattie were asleep. Being roused by a ne¬ 
gro with this information, they were soon in the saddle, 
and having by the morning collected seven of his men, 
Mosby .entered Middleburg as Colonel Wyndham was 
leaving it. 

He boldly charged the enemy’s rear, killing one and 
capturing three of their number, and then retired to the 
farther end of the village. He there stopped and allow¬ 
ed the Yankees to shoot at him as he sat upon his horse, 
a piece of temerity which greatly astonished the citizens, 
but which was not without its good effect upon the men. 
The rest of his command having been brought up—for 
Colonel Wyndham had entered Middleburg with only 


Colonel Wyndham Driven out of Middleburg. 27 

one hundred of his men—he ventured to open an attack. 
Before the vigor of this onset Mosby was compelled to 
retreat, losing Beattie and two others, who were taken 
prisoners. 

As soon as the enemy halted in the pursuit, our leader, 
with one man, returned to a hill-top but a few hundred 
yards distant from the head of .the Federal column. 
Colonel Wyndham, believing them to be members of his 
own command who had pressed too far in the front, dis¬ 
patched a courier to order them back; but Mosby re¬ 
ceived the order very quietly, and sent the messenger 
back with the reply that lie couldn't come yet. 

Soon after the return of this expedition to the Federal 
camp there appeared in the Northern papers a very ani¬ 
mated account of the victory which Colonel Wyndham 
had achieved at Middleburg over Stuart’s cavalry. 

In consequence of Colonel Wyndham’s threats to burn 
the town of Middleburg, and ravage the country between 
it and Fairfax Court-house if our attacks upon his out¬ 
posts were repeated, a petition from certain prominent 
citizens was presented to Mosby, requesting him to with¬ 
draw from their midst. But it drew from him only the 
following spirited and conclusive reply: 


“Fauquier County, February 4th, 1863. 

“Gentlemen, — I have just received your petition requesting 
me to discontinue my warfare on the \ ankees, because they have 
threatened to burn your town and destroy your property in re¬ 
taliation for my acts. Not being prepared for any such degrading 
compromise with the Yankees, I unhesitatingly refuse to comply. 
My attacks on scouts, patrols, and pickets, which have provoked 
this threat, are sanctioned both by the custom of war and the prac¬ 
tice of the enemy, and you are at liberty to inform them that no 
such clamor shall deter me from employing whatever legitimate 
weapon I can most efficiently use for their annoyance.” 


The day after this affair with Wyndham our command 



28 


Partisan Life 'With Mosby. 

was convened at Middleburg for the purpose of striking 
again the Federal outposts. A deep snow had fallen, fol¬ 
lowed by a chilling rain; but, undeterred by the inclem¬ 
ency of the weather, Mosby proceeded in the direction of 
Fairfax, but stopped for supper at the house of his friend, 
Mat Lee. Here we left the turnpike and went toward 
Frying-pan, halting at the house of Ben Hatton. Ben 
had that day returned from a visit to the Yankees, to 
whom, according to the warning which Mosby received, 
he had been giving information about his movements; so 
Ben. was given the choice between a visit to Castle 
Thunder, or guiding us to the Federal picket-post, which 
was not far distant. Without the least hesitation he 
consented to act as guide, a service for which his recent 
visit had well qualified him. 

The picket stood on the Lawyer’s Boad, near Tyler 
Davis’s house, and consisted of twelve men from the 
Eighteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. A patrol of two men 
passed between this picket-post and another half a mile 
distant once in every hour. Our men, being concealed 
near the road along which the patrol passed, succeeded 
in capturing them both, and then sent them under guard 
to the point where our horses had been left. Guided by 
the light of the Yankee camp - fires, Mosby ordered the 
men to creep close to the picket, and then charge. The 
result was that the Yankees were all captured without 
resistance. Two mounted vedettes, however, attempted 
to escape, but Hurst and Keys, mounted each on a cap¬ 
tured horse, followed close upon them, killing one and 
taking the other prisoner. The capture had scarcely 
been effected and the prisoners carried off when a squad¬ 
ron of Federal cavalry reached the spot. It had been 
stationed a short distance off by Colonel Wyndliam’s or¬ 
der, in anticipation of our assault upon the pickets, but 
failed, as I have said, to come up in time. Thus was 


29 


Mosby Saved by an Any el. 

Colonel Wynclliam a second time foiled in liis efforts to 
catcli liis harassing enemy. 

In his report of his operations, which he sent to Gen¬ 
eral Stuart, up to February 4th, accompanied by the cor¬ 
respondence between the citizens of Middleburg and him¬ 
self, Mosby remarked of this last affair: “ He set a very 
nice trap a few days ago to catch me in, but, contrary to 
Colonel Wyndham’s expectations, I brought it off with 
me.” 

In this report Mosby proposed to Stuart to make a 
dash with the brigade then lying in Culpepper upon 
Dranesville. He said: “ In Fairfax County there are five 
or six regiments of cavalry; there are about three hund¬ 
red at Dranesville, who are isolated from the rest of the 
command, so that nothing would be easier than to cap¬ 
ture the whole force. I have harassed them so much 
that they do not keep their pickets over half a mile from 
camp. They have no artillery.” But, for some unex¬ 
plained reason, this plan, which appeared to be so feasi¬ 
ble, was not acted upon. 


CHAPTER IV. 

MOSBY SAVED BY AX AXGEL. 

Upper Fauquier, February 24th, 18G3. 

Dear Percy,— The issue which was raised between 
certain of the citizens in and around Middleburg and our 
leader has been determined by General Stuart, and Mos¬ 
by is more firmly established than before in Loudoun and 
Fauquier, unless, indeed, Colonel Wyndham can, by craft 
or force, expel him; for, after highly commending his 
late operations, General Stuart, in a letter to Mosby, con¬ 
cluded by saying, “ I heartily wish you great and increas- 




30 Partisan Life with Moshy. 

ing success in the glorious career on which you have en¬ 
tered.” 

‘The 7th of February had been designated for our as¬ 
semblage at Ball’s Mill, on Goose Creek, not far from the 
Loudoun and Fairfax line. But only five of the men ap¬ 
peared at the rendezvous, six of them having been cap¬ 
tured by raiders the night before at a dancing party 
which they had attended in violation of orders. It was 
the purpose of Mosby to have renewed the attack on the 
picket-line in Fairfax, but, hearing of a foraging-party in 
the neighborhood, he resolved to follow them. The plun¬ 
derers, for they were robbers rather than soldiers, had 
not only taken with them the horses of citizens, which in 
this war are regarded as contraband, but had stripped 
such dwelling-houses as lay in their course of all valua¬ 
bles which they could carry off, including silver spoons, 
jewelry, and the clothing of ladies. They even carried 
their thieving so far as to deprive Dr. Drake, whom they 
met on their march, of his medical saddle-bags. When 
the foragers had reached a point within a few miles of 
Dranesville, we overtook a party of seven, who had halted 
to examine their “captures.” Throwing ourselves be¬ 
tween them and their main body, the spoilers, with their 
spoil, were without difficulty captured. The former Mos¬ 
by sent to Richmond to be detained as robbers, but the 
latter he returned to its owners. 

The next day, with eight men, Mosby started again for 
Fairfax with the intention of striking a picket-post near 
Frying-pan Church, which proved to be a trap that had 
been set for him, but from which he was saved by the 
activity and courage of Miss Laura Ratcliffe. She was 
informed by a soldier who came to the house to ask for 
milk that Lieutenant Palmer, of the First Virginia, with 
a party, had placed himself in the pines, near Frying-pan 
Church, leaving a few of his men in sight of the road as 


31 


Mosby Saved by an Angel. 

pickets. He added, “ We will surely get Mosby tliis time. 
On liis next raid he will certainly come by Frying-pan, 
and it will not be possible for him to escape. I tell you 
this, though I know you would give Mosby any informa¬ 
tion in your possession; but, as you have no horses, and 
the mud is too deep for women folks to walk, you can’t 
tell him; so the next you hear of your ‘pet’ he will be 
either dead or our prisoner.” After the man left, the la¬ 
dies wondered what they could do in that emergency. 
At last Miss Laura concluded to go across the fields and 
leave word with the Southern families to watch for Mos¬ 
by and put him on his guard. While she was at Mr. 
George Coleman’s in execution of this purpose, she beheld 
from the window a small body of men, and, in company 
with a lady friend, proceeded to intercept them. But, as 
she approached, she saw among them so many blue-coats 
that she feared she had fallen in with a band of Yankees, 
but was soon relieved from her suspense by John Under¬ 
wood, who rode up to inquire the news, and was soon fol¬ 
lowed by Mosby, whom she informed of the ambuscade 
prepared for him. Not having men enough to justify an 
attack on Lieutenant Palmer, we turned aside to Hern¬ 
don Station, where we fell in with a blockade runner, 
who had just returned from Washington. It was night, 
and, in an old barn, by the light of a candle, the peddler 
displayed his goods, and we purchased from him with 
Federal currency such articles as we desired. 

While here, a citizen, who was in the confidence of the 
Federal authorities both military and civil, apprised Mos¬ 
by of the position of a picket-post near Dranesville. 
From the description, John Underwood recognized the 
spot, which, under the guidance of our skillful pilot, we 
reached without difficulty. The vedette, as usual, made 
his escape, but the reserve of fifteen men, together with 
their horses, arms, and equipments, we captured, and car- 


32 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 

lied in safety to Middleburg. On our arrival we were 
informed that Alexander Davis, a Union man who lives 
near Aldie, but who has been compelled by the violence 
of Southern feeling to take refuge in the Northern army, 
had been to the neighborhood with six wagons, guarded 
ostensibly by eighteen cavalry, but in each of which were 
concealed twelve infantry from the Bucktail Regiment of 
Pennsylvania, but, not finding Mosby, had returned to 
camp with his six wagon-loads of live Yankees. Thus 
Lieutenant Palmer’s second device miscarried. 


CHAPTER V. 

COMPOSITION OF MOSBY’s CORPS. -ATTACK AT THOMPSON’S 

CORNER. 

Upper Fauquier, February 28th, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —Notwithstanding the capture of almost 
half of his detail, which I mentioned in my last letter, 
Mosby’s band has, by the process of accretion, almost 
doubled in number since we left camp, for the fame of his 
exploits has gone abroad, and adventurous spirits are 
gathering around him. This attraction has extended 
even to the camp of the enemy; for the other day, wdiile 
Mosby was in Middleburg, Sergeant Ames, from the Fifth 
New York Cavalry, sought admission into our little band. 
His application created quite a stir among our men, who 
expressed a violent objection to receiving a Yankee de¬ 
serter, as they called Ames, into their fellowship. In this 
objection they were fortified by the sage opinions of the 
citizens, who gravely shook their heads and talked of 
treachery. 

Deserters are a class necessarily suspected, and the risk 
of betrayal is one of those dangers which appeals most 




33 


Composition of Mosbfs Corps , etc. 

strongly to the imagination. But Mosby is the last man 
in the world to be affected by the suspicious fancies of 
soldier or citizen. Belying rather upon his own penetra¬ 
tion, and won by the frank and soldierly bearing of the 
proposed recruit, he conversed with him about the condi¬ 
tion of things in Fairfax, comparing what he heard witk 
the information of which he was already possessed, and 
about the verity of which he was convinced. The result 
of the interview was the adoption of Ames into our com¬ 
mand ; and as he attracted by his antecedents the suspi¬ 
cion, and since, by his courage and fidelity, the admiration 
and confidence of the men, I will give you a description 
of his appearance. 

He is large and muscular, with determination stamped 
in every line of his face. His black eye is quick, clear, 
intelligent, while his bearing is manly, and his manners 
and conversation are pleasing. Sergeant Ames had been 
a seafaring man ere he became a soldier, and carries 
about him all the characteristics of that profession. The 
cause of his desertion, he said, was the Emancipation 
Proclamation of President Lincoln, for which he never 
meant to fight. As soon as the object of the war was 
changed from the reconstruction of the Union to the 
abolition of slavery, he regarded his military engagement 
as annulled. 

In addition to his proper command, there is another 
element, composed of loose and unemployed material, 
which Mosby is now able to combine and hurl against 
the invaders of his country. His custom is to advertise, 
about a week in advance, a meeting to be held at one of 
his rendezvous, and to it repair those who love adventure 
or plunder. But the most abundant and useful source 
from which these temporary recruits are derived is from 
the members of the regular cavalry at home, on detail or 
furlough. Hence it is that members of the Black Horse 


34 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Company, originally recruited from tliis county, have so 
often taken part in our expeditions, and are weaving 
their history into Mosby’s career. Convalescents from 
the hospitals also will sometimes join him for a single 
raid; but when the Yankees come in pursuit, as in the 
case of Colonel Wyndham, they find them languidly 
stretched on their pallets. These several classes of re¬ 
cruits are called by Mosby his “ Conglomerates.” 

But there is another element of greater durability and 
value which is gradually forming itself around him, and 
will constitute, I think, the nucleus of a large and inde¬ 
pendent command. It is composed of discharged sol¬ 
diers, youths under the conscript age, and young gentle¬ 
men from Maryland, who prefer service under the stand¬ 
ard of Mosby to that in the regular army. 

Success is the charmed word by which this strange 
man attracts and embodies the scattered material around 
him. 

But this growing fame has produced an inconvenience 
of a serious nature. Deserters from the regular army 
have begun to rally to this new and brilliant standard, 
under which they may partake of the comforts and pleas¬ 
ures of social life, and at the same time discharge the du¬ 
ties and receive the emoluments of the partisan soldier. 
I feared at one time that this evil, more potent than the 
enemy, would destroy our infant command; but I find 
Mosby has an uncompromising sense of military honor 
and duty, which has preserved him in this trial. Instead 
of allowing his command to become a refuge for desert¬ 
ers, he is, on the contrary, a most efficient ally of the con¬ 
script officer. In this way Mosby has obtained the re¬ 
spect and confidence, as well as the admiration of his 
military superiors and the officials at Bichmond. 

On the 26th of February, the day after the date of my 
last letter, we started from Rector’s Cross-roads to attack 


35 


Composition of Mosby* s Corps , etc. 

a picket on the by-road at Thompson’s Corner, not far 
from Germantown. During the preceding night a heavy 
snow had fallen, which by morning had changed into a 
slow but steady rain. The roads were so deep as to be 
almost impassable, and any man but Mosby would have 
been content to remain by the fire. With twenty-seven 
men he proceeded down the turnpike, and about night¬ 
fall struck off in the direction of the proposed place of 
attack. 

Among our band was Sergeant Ames, mounted, but 
unarmed, for the men, still distrustful of his fidelity, had 
insisted that this precaution should be taken, and Ames 
had willingly agreed. As the command was passing 
near her residence, Mosby stopped to consult his intelli¬ 
gent friend, Miss Ratcliffe, and then resumed his place at 
the head of the column, which was guided by the uner¬ 
ring: Underwood. When within a short distance of 
Thompson’s Corner, our leader was informed by a citizen 
residing in the vicinity, with a view of dissuading him 
from making the attack, that the outpost was furnished 
with a hundred men. 

“Well, well,” replied Mosby, “if you are right they 
will suppose that a hundred at least have come to attack 
them.” 

The night was very cold, and so dark and rainy that 
no living wight but John Underwood could have found 
the route. When he had neared the post, Mosby halted 
his men that he might ascertain the true strength of the 
picket, and whether it could be approached in rear; but, 
foiled in this, he resolved to dismiss stratagem and ap¬ 
proach boldly in front, hoping to be mistaken for the 
patrol coming from Chantilly. Frank Williams and Joe 
Nelson were ordered to the front, and the column moved 
on. Strange were our sensations as we pressed forward 
in the darkness, which was so intense that a man by your 


36 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

side could not be recognized. Soon a voice from the 
front ordered us to halt, and when Nelson and Williams 
replied that they were friends, they were allowed by the 
vedette to approach nearer. 

But when he saw them he fired his carbine and re¬ 
treated rapidly, closely pursued. Our commander at 
once ordered a charge, and we dashed forward through 
the mud and snow, ever keeping Nelson and Williams in 
sight. The reserve were sleeping in an old house on the 
roadside a short distance off, and toward them the ve¬ 
dette directly retreated. When we arrived at the house 
the Yankees were under arms to receive us, and poured 
a volley into our ranks. The men wavered for an in¬ 
stant, till reassured by the voice of their chief. “ Close 
on them, men,” he shouted. The command dashed for¬ 
ward, and the Yankees, fifty in number, fled and scatter¬ 
ed in the pines. 

The time had come at last for Sergeant Ames to settle 
all doubts and suspicions with regard to his loyalty to 
his new commander. All unarmed as he was, he rushed 
on a mounted soldier, seized him by the collar, and threat¬ 
ened him with immediate death if he did not surrender. 
He surrendered and delivered up his revolver, his car¬ 
bine, his sabre, with which Ames plunged into the woods 
in pursuit of the flying enemy. From that time “ Big 
Yankee” has been a great toast with Mosby’s men, and 
no man doubts now either his loyalty or his courage. 

The enemy lost in this midnight encounter a lieuten¬ 
ant and three men killed, five prisoners, besides several 
wounded. We also trotted off thirty-nine fine horses, 
which stood saddled and bridled in the pines, and were 
soon on the return march to Fauquier. 

The outpost at Thompson’s Corner was but a short dis¬ 
tance from the camp of the First New York Cavalry, from 
which a heavy detail was sent out to intercept us. As 


CLOSE ON THEM, MEN ! 



























































































































































































































































































































































38 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

soon as our command had reached Rector’s Cross-roads, 
George Slater, of Baltimore, one of the bravest and most 
trusty men, was sent down the turnpike as far as Mid- 
dleburg to ascertain if there was a pursuit by the enemy. 

In the mean time the Federal detachment had pro¬ 
ceeded to a point near Aldie, where they fell in with a 
citizen, of whom they inquired if he had seen u a horse- 
thief named Mosby.” The citizen laughed at the polish¬ 
ed wit, and pointed up the road. Off they dashed, ex¬ 
pecting to overtake the “ horse-thief” very soon. Thus 
they continued till they reached Middleburg, beyond 
which point their horses, from sheer exhaustion, could 
not proceed. The result of the pursuit was that half of 
the Yankees returned to their camp leading their lame 
and jaded animals. 

When Slater returned to notify Mosby of the approach 
of the enemy, he found the rendezvous deserted; for, in 
his absence, the prisoners had been sent off, the spoil had 
been divided, and the men had scattered through the 
country. 


CHAPTER VL 

DARING EXPLOITS.—A HAND-TO-HAND FIGHT. 

Near Upperville, March 3d, 18G3. 

Dear Percy,— I shall begin my letter to-day with nar¬ 
rating a daring personal exploit performed by Sergeant 
Ames and Walter E. Frankland, of Fauquier, a new re¬ 
cruit. The latter, in company with George Whitescarver, 
from the same county, attended on foot our recent meet¬ 
ing at Rector’s Cross-roads. Whitescarver managed in 
some way at once to mount himself, but Frankland was 
not so fortunate. Ames was induced, with Mosby’s ap- 




Baring Exploits.—A Hand-to-hand Fight. 39 

probation, to propose to Frankland to enter with him the 
camp of the Fifth New York, for the purpose of each 
bringing off an officer’s horse. Frankland readily assent¬ 
ed, and the two adventurers set forth on foot for the 
camp, which was then near Germantown, on the turnpike, 
one mile from Fairfax Court-house. 

Having selected the hour of midnight for the execu¬ 
tion of their plan, they succeeded in secreting themselves 
in the bushes within a short distance of the line of sen¬ 
tries. About nine o’clock the lights were extinguished, 
and soon all was quiet in the camp. But, as midnight 
approached, and Ames and his companion were preparing 
to go forth from their hiding - place, the bugles in two 
regimental camps were sounded, and very soon they saw 
detachments of cavalry from each move off in the direc¬ 
tion of Fauquier. When the lights were again extin¬ 
guished, and the camp was again sunk in repose, the two 
men crept from their place of concealment, and stealthily 
crossed the sentry-line. As Ames was familiar with the 
arrangement of the camp, he proceeded at once to the 
stalls where the officer’s horses were to be found, follow¬ 
ed by his companion. They found the guard on duty 
as usual, but he was engaged in conversation with a sol¬ 
dier, and did not appear to observe them. The Rangers 
marched boldly into the stable, and, selecting two of the 
best horses, proceeded at leisure to bridle and saddle 
them. As soon as this was done, the horses were led 
forth and mounted, and slowly ridden from the camp. 
Their riders, once more on the road, soon struck into a 
gallop, and hastened to inform Mosby of the Federal 
raiders who had started in search of him. 

The cavalry force in Fairfax, commanded by Colonel 
Wyndham, is at this time distributed as follows: The 

Eighteenth Pennsylvania is encamped at -, the 

First Virginia and Fifth New York are near German- 



40 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

town, as we liave seen, while the First Vermont is at 
Dranesville. This force performs the outpost duty, as 
well as the scouting and raiding for the artillery and in¬ 
fantry stationed at Fairfax Court-house, under command 
of Brigadier General Stoughton. Mosby’s unremitting 
and successful attacks render his destruction an object of 
primary importance to both of these commanders. 

In consequence, an expedition of four hundred men, 
under command of Major Gilmore, was sent on the 2d of 
March to Middleburg, and at an early hour entered the 
town, hoping to surprise some of our men, and perhaps 
Mosby himself. Failing in this, Major Gilmore captured 
several old gentlemen, whom he caused to mark time on 
the streets, and then started on his return march. 

Mosby had ordered a meeting of his men on the same 
day at Hector’s Cross-roads, his purpose being again to 
assail the picket-line; but, as soon as he was informed 
of Major Gilmore’s presence in Middleburg, he withdrew 
his command a short distance from the turnpike, with 
the view of falling in behind the raiders and harassing 
their rear. The sudden return of the Yankees discon¬ 
certed this plan, and Mosby approached Middleburg only 
to ascertain the number of the enemy and the route they 
had taken. He at once announced his purpose to pursue. 
The ladies of Middleburg came out and besought him 
earnestly not to do so, for, they said, “ There are Yankees 
enough to eat you up.” But, nothing daunted, our fear¬ 
less commander started off in pursuit, taking with him 
seventeen men. At Aldie we came in sight of a party 
of the enemy, which we supposed to be Gilmore’s rear¬ 
guard. Some of them were riding from house to house, 
others had dismounted and were lounging about the 
streets, while the larger portion were grouped around 
the door of a mill, engaged in feeding their horses. A 
charge was immediately ordered, and the Yankees scatter- 



Daring Exploits.—A Hand-to-hand Fight . 41 

ed, offering but slight resistance. Some of them sprang 
to their unbitted horses, some fled to the adjacent mount¬ 
ain, while others concealed themselves in the stone mill 
and the adjoining buildings. 

Mosby was then in undisputed possession of the west 
end of the village; but, seeing a Federal officer on the 
other side of Little Liver, which passes through the town, 
he inferred that the enemy had rallied, and were prepar¬ 
ing for a fight. He ordered Turner to take one man, and 
proceed in that direction to watch the movement. Tur¬ 
ner discovered that Mosby’s conjecture was unfounded, 
and at once attacked the officer, who proved to be Cap¬ 
tain Worthington, of the First Vermont Cavalry. The 


A IIAKD-TO-HAND TIGHT 






















































42 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

combat was a short hand-to-hand fight, but the Federal 
officer did not surrender until he had had his horse shot, 
and had inflicted on his captor a serious wound. 

Mosby was still under the belief that he had engaged 
the rear-guard of Major Gilmore’s command, and that the 
entire column would soon return to attack him. He 
therefore ordered his men to return to Middleburg, and 
take with them the prisoners and horses, leaving himself 
and one other, the only Confederate soldiers in Aldie. 
Thinking all danger over, three of the Yankees, who had 
escaped to the mountain, returned to the village and were 
captured, and sent off under charge of Mosby’s compan¬ 
ion. Then, for the first time, Mosby learned that the en¬ 
emy whom he had fought were not Major Gilmore’s 
command, but a party of fifty-nine men from the First 
Vermont Cavalry, under command of Captain Huttoon, 
who, at his own request, had been allowed to go on an 
independent expedition in search of the guerrillas. 

In less than two hours from the time we had left Mid¬ 
dleburg we had traveled eight miles, and, in an encoun¬ 
ter with a greatly superior force, had captured nineteen 
prisoners, among whom were two captains and twenty- 
three horses. 

In the fight at Aldie Mosby’s horse became so unman¬ 
ageable that he w^as compelled to leap from the saddle, 
and allow the animal, which had been recently captured, 
to rejoin its old friends. At this juncture Furlong Car¬ 
ter dismounted and offered him his horse, which enabled 
Mosby to rejoin the command and again enter the com¬ 
bat. 


General Stoughton's Capture by Mosby. 


43 


CHAPTER VII. 

GENERAL STOUGHTON’S CAPTURE BY MOSBY. 

Upper Fauquier, March 15th, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —I am now about to relate the most 
brilliant personal exploit of the war. A few days ago, 
Mosby put in execution a plan which he had gradually 
matured for the capture at Fairfax Court-house of the 
Federal officers, whose head-quarters were at that place. 

With twenty-nine men he started down the turnpike 
from Hector’s Cross-roads, and halted at Aldie, where 
he disbanded his men to meet again the following day, 
hoping that an escort, which had been sent off in charge 
of prisoners, would rejoin him by that time. Disap-'- 
pointed in this, the next day he continued his march 
for eight miles, when he stopped to have the horses fed 
and await the approach of night. 

A steady rain had been falling since early in the even¬ 
ing, but, notwithstanding, we set forward as soon as it 
became dark. When we had reached a point within 
three miles of Chantilly, we turned to the right, and 
struck across the country in the direction of Fairfax 
Court-house. So intense was the darkness that, as we 
were passing through a dense body of pines, the com¬ 
mand was separated into two divisions, Mosby, with the 
head of the column, going forward, while the rest of it 
stopped under the impression that a halt had been or¬ 
dered. When our isolated position was discovered (for 
I was with the party left in the pines), we were in a great 
quandary as to what course we ought to pursue. With- 


44 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


out a guide, in a dark night, in an intricate forest, in a 
strange country, the situation in which we were placed 
was one of no little embarrassment. Some of the men 
advocated a return to Fauquier, while others thought it 
best to remain stationary until Mosby should send back 
for the missing detachment; but the most of us prefer¬ 
red to press forward and endeavor to overtake our leader. 
After some deliberation this counsel prevailed, and, hav¬ 
ing proceeded a short distance, the wanderers discovered 
a faint light glimmering through the pines. Advancing 
toward it, we found, to our great joy, that it proceeded 
from a woodman’s hut, where we found Mosby with the 
rest of the command. 

We were now near the enemy’s outside picket-line 
between Centreville and Chantilly, and, by the use of 
great caution, we succeeded in passing through without 
being discovered, and again resumed our march. Feel¬ 
ing our way very carefully, we next struck a point on 
the turnpike midway between Fairfax Court-house and 
Centreville, and cut the telegraph wires by which the 
Federal force at the Court-house could communicate 
with the cavalry at the latter place. Moving down the 
turnpike until he came within a mile and a half of the 
Court-house, Mosby flanked off to the right to avoid some 
infantry camps, and proceeded in a southeasterly direc¬ 
tion until he struck the road which leads from Fairfax 
Station to the Court-house, on which he moved toward 
the village. By this movement he hoped to disarm the 
suspicions of sentinels and pickets as to the true char¬ 
acter of his party. As we drew near the town, the 
camp-fires of the infantry burned brightly in every di¬ 
rection. These encampments we avoided as we press¬ 
ed rapidly on, yet necessarily passing sometimes quite 
near the sentries. But we were not challenged, as no 


45 


General Stoughton's Capture by Mosby . 

soldier suspected that a handful of Confederate cavalry 
could have penetrated without being detected so far 
within the Federal lines, or would have the hardihood 
to attempt it. 

At two o’clock in the morning we entered Fairfax 
Court-house, and found the streets deserted and scarcely 
a light any where visible; every one seemed buried in 
sleep, officers, soldiers, citizens. Swiftly and silently we 
marched along the street which leads from Fairfax Sta¬ 
tion to the point where it intersects the Little River 
Turnpike in front of the village hotel now used as a 
hospital. Here Mosby left Ames and Frankland, and 
with the rest of the command proceeded to the house of 
a citizen farther on in the village. The two Rangers 
were soon discovered and challenged by the sentinel who 
was pacing his beat in front of the hospital. Ames 
promptly responded that they were members of the 5th 
New York Cavalry, waiting for the return of Major 
White, of that regiment—an answer which appeared to 
satisfy the man, for he resumed his beat. Ames then 
called him as if to whisper something in his ear, and, 
when he approached, took him prisoner. 

Very soon Mosby returned to the spot where he had 
left Frankland and Ames, and proceeded to make his dis¬ 
positions for the night’s work. A party under the guid¬ 
ance of Ames was sent to capture Colonel Wyndham, 
another party was detailed to collect the horses in the 
stables, while with a third Mosby proceeded to pay his 
respects to Brigadier General Stoughton. 

When Ames arrived at his point of destination he 
discovered that Colonel Wyndham, the object of his 
search, had that morning gone to Washington. Mean¬ 
time one of the men stepped into an adjoining room, and 
aroused from his sleep an officer with the information 
that Mosby desired his presence. Appreciating his sit- 


46 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

nation, he very warmly protested against being carried 
off, as he was only a sutler, and at the same time, in con¬ 
firmation of his words, pointed to a quantity of confis¬ 
cated merchandise which was lying about on the shelves 
and chairs. The Ranger was deceived by these repre¬ 
sentations, and was about to turn off from the supposed 
sutler, when Ames came up and recognized him as Cap¬ 
tain Barker, of the 5th New York Cavalry, to whose 
company he had belonged. As soon as the captain rec¬ 
ognized Ames, he acknowledged his stratagem and pre¬ 
pared to accompany his captors. 

While this scene was being enacted, the horse detail 
were plying their work with busy hands in the officers' 
stables, where they secured many a prize. Almost a 
hundred horses were at short notice collected in the 
streets awaiting Mosby’s return. 

Mosby, meantime, had gone to the house of Dr. Gun¬ 
nel, which stands apart toward the west of the village, 
at no great distance from the Little River Turnpike, to¬ 
ward which it fronts. With six men he approached the 
door, at which he knocked for admission. Soon a voice 
from a window above demanded their business at so 
unusual an hour. 

“Dispatches for General Stoughton,' 1 replied Mosby. 
The door was soon unlocked, and the general’s nocturnal 
visitors proceeded to his apartment on the upper floor. 

It appears that Brigadier General Stoughton had the 
night before given a dancing-party at his head-quarters. 
The revelers had tarried long, and the gallant officer was 
now in the soft embrace of the first sleep. With a 
rude shake Mosby roused him from his slumber, and it 
may be from his dreams. The general demanded the 
cause of so unseasonable a visit. Mosby curtly replied, 

“Stuart’s cavalry is in possession of the town.” 

“Impossible,” exclaimed Stoughton; nor could the in- 



© 









































































































































48 Partisan Life with Mo shy, 

credulity of the Sybarite be removed until he was in¬ 
formed by his captor that his name was Mosby. As 
obedient as to the summons of death, the Federal officer 
arose, and without another word proceeded to put on 
his clothes; but, while thus engaged, informed the in¬ 
truders that if they had only come the night before he 
would have been prepared for their reception, but that, 
inasmuch as they were expected at Chantilly that night, 
arrangements had been made there to receive them. 

While these events transpired in the chamber of Gen¬ 
eral Stoughton, George Whitescarver and Welt Hatcher 
. had explored some tents in the rear of the house, and 
had captured seven of the 1st Vermont Cavalry on duty 
as a body-guard to the general. 

As soon as his toilette was finished, Stoughton, who 
was a philosopher as well as a general, in a cheerful 
voice called to his servant to bring out his horse, but 
some handy Ranger, for Mosby’s men are all handy, had 
more than performed this service, for tivo beautiful ani¬ 
mals from the general’s stud, all caparisoned, were stand¬ 
ing in front of the house. But I regret to add that the 
general’s cheerful spirits did not last long, for instead of 
being allowed to mount one of his own fleet-footed steeds, 
he was requested politely to ride a horse of lower mettle 
which had been provided for his service. 

Just as we were about to depart an incident occurred 
which I think worth relating. Frank Williams ap¬ 
proached General Stoughton and handed him his watch, 
which the Ranger said in the hurry of the departure had 
been overlooked. Thus you see that, so far from being 
a band of plunderers, Mosby’s men scrupulously respect 
private property. 

With his prisoners Mosby returned to the rendezvous 
in front of the hotel, and as soon as the several detach¬ 
ments had come in, bringing with them their captures, 


49 


General Stoughton's Capture by Mosby. 

we prepared to return in the same direction from which 
we had entered the town. We had been an hour and a 
half in the village, garrisoned as it was by a considerable 
body of infantry, and yet our presence had not been dis¬ 
covered except by the sentinels, all of whom we had cap¬ 
tured. After we had started on our return, encumbered 
with thirty-two prisoners, two of whom were captains, 
and fifty-eight horses, which were all that we could bring 
off with us, a window of a house which we passed was 
thrown open, and a voice imperatively demanded what 
command that cavalry belonged to. A laugh from the 
men was the only reply. The column, however, was 
halted, and Nelson and Welt Hatcher were ordered to 

* i 

dismount and search the house for the person from 
whom the voice had proceeded. This duty they pro¬ 
ceeded to perform, but found, instead of the officer whom 
they expected to meet, only a lady, who proved to be the 
wife of Colonel Johnson, of the 18th Pennsylvania, then 
acting quarter-master of the post. The colonefs uniform 
they found lying on a chair; his gold watch was hang¬ 
ing on the wall, and his hat was on the table, but the 
colonel himself was nowhere to be found. It was a 
clear case of desertion, and, instead of capturing the offi¬ 
cer, Nelson only brought off his hat, to supply the place 
of his own, which he had lost a few nights before. After 
their fruitless search the two men rejoined the column, 
which proceeded on its march without farther delay, for 
it was now half past three o’clock, and our commander 
was desirous of repassing the outposts before day should 
dawn. 

As we were flanking around the fortifications at Cen- 
treville, and passing so near as to be hailed by the senti¬ 
nel on the redoubt, and distinctly to see the bristling 
cannon through the embrasures, Captain Barker set 
spurs to his horse and attempted to make his escape; 

D 


50 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

but a pistol-shot from his guard, which grazed his head, 
induced him to return. The sentinel challenged again, 
but no answer was returned, and the column moved on. 

We were soon outside of the Federal pickets, and, 
crossing the Warrenton and Centreville Turnpike, we 
struck Cub Fun about one mile above the Suspension 
Bridge. This stream was now much swollen by the re¬ 
cent snows, but we soon swam our horses across it. 
Mosby plunged in first, followed by General Stoughton, 
who, as he emerged from his cold bath, remarked, “Cap¬ 
tain, this is the first bad treatment I have received at 
your hands. 11 

From Cub‘Fun we proceeded to the Sudley Mills, 
and again struck the turnpike at Groveton. Here Mos¬ 
by left us, and, wif^i George Slater, galloped ahead of 
the command, to ascertain if any danger threatened his 
line of march. They rode to the crest of a high hill, 
which commanded a view of the road far back toward 
Centreville, and it was with an anxious heart that Mos- 
by’s eye swept the horizon in that direction. But he 
could see no indications of pursuit, and for the first time 
since his departure from Fairfax Court-house did he 
feel confident that his daring exploit had been crowned 
with success, nor until then had the captured general 
abandoned all hope of being rescued. 

Apprehending no danger in his front, Mosby ordered 
the command to proceed directly to Warrenton, while 
with Slater he lingered in the rear, and did not overtake 
us until we had reached the town. 

The citizens, who had been notified of our approach by 
Walter Frankland, had prepared for our hungry band a 
plentiful breakfast, and received us with hearty cheers. 

The next day, at the head-quarters of Brigadier Gen¬ 
eral Fitz Lee, at Brandy Station, Mosby turned over his 
captives, and then divided the spoil among his brave 
companions. 


51 


General Stoughton s Capture by Mosby. 

General Stuart was as this time still encamped near 
Fredericksburg, but he arrived the next day at Brandy 
Station, having been summoned to attend a court-mar¬ 
tial at that place. He had met at Gordonsville Stough¬ 
ton and his fellow-captives, and when he saw Mosby he 
expressed in the strongest terms his appreciation of 
the brilliant exploit which he had just performed. 

Mosby’s services had already attracted the attention 
of Governor Letcher, who, in acknowledgment of them, 
had sent him, through General Stuart, a captain’s com¬ 
mission in the Provisional Army of Virginia, an or¬ 
ganization which had long ceased to exist. On this oc¬ 
casion Stuart delivered it to Mosby, and added that he 
thought it possible that the Confederate government 
might be induced to recognize its validity. But Mosby, 
not a little indignant, refused to accept so nominal a 
dignity, for the governors commission was in truth 
about as valuable as would have been his excellency’s 
warrant for a tract of land in the moon. 

In a few days after this, the following order was pub¬ 
lished to the cavalry corps of the Army of Northern Vir¬ 
ginia : 

“ Head-quarters, Cavalry Divisions, Army of > 
Northern Virginia, March 12th, 1863. j 

“ General Orders , No. —. 

“ Captain John S. Mosby has for a long time attracted the atten¬ 
tion of his generals by his boldness, skill, and success, so signally 
displayed in his numerous forays upon the invaders of his native 
state. None know his daring enterprise and dashing heroism bet¬ 
ter than those foul invaders, though strangers themselves to such 

noble traits. . , 

“His late brilliant exploit —the capture of Brigadier General 

Stoughton, IT. S. A., two captains, thirty other prisoners, together 
with their arms, equipments, and fifty-eight horses justifies this 
recognition in General Orders. 

“ This feat, unparalleled in the war, was peifoimed in the midst 
of the enemy’s troops, at Fairfax Court-house, av itliout loss oi injuiy. 


52 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 

“ The gallant band of Captain Mosby share the glory, as they 
did the danger of this enterprise, and are worthy of such a leader. 

“ J. E. B. Stuaet, Major General commanding.” 

Great was the surprise at Fairfax Court-house the 
next morning when it was discovered that during the 
preceding night Mosby had been there and had carried 
off the commanding officer, besides a large number of 
prisoners and horses. Some censured one officer, some 
another, but it was agreed on all hands that so daring a 
feat could not have been performed without the aid of 
accomplices in the town. Upon the strength of this sus¬ 
picion, wholly devoid of foundation in fact, eight promi¬ 
nent citizens of known Southern sympathies were thrown 
into the county jail, from which they have been sent to 
spend many a weary month in the Old Capitol Prison. 

The vengeance of the military authorities at Fairfax 
Court-house was at the same time wreaked upon the 
head of an innocent and interesting young lady of the 
village, Miss Antonia Ford, who has been torn from the 
bosom of her family, and sent likewise to the Federal 
Bastile, an act of harshness and tyranny which deserves 
the reprobation of all good men in whatever country 
they reside. 

A few days after I called to see Miss Laura Batcliffe, 
and was told by her that the day after our expedition 
the Yankees came out in swarms, but looked very sullen, 
and would have nothing to say. “We knew,” she said, 
“there was some cause for the unusual excitement. At 
last one of them came up, seeming greatly amused, and 
told us that they were ordered by their officers not to 
tell what had happened in ‘Devil's Corner, 1 as they call 
this neighborhood, as it would delight us too much. But 
he thought the smartest thing that had been done in 
either army since the war ought not to be kept secret. 
He then told us that Stoughton and his staff had been 


Capture of the Pickets at Herndon's Station. 53 

captured in bed the night before by Mosby. The news, 1 ' 
she said, “was too good to keep, so we went round 
among our neighbors to tell it, and that day was one of 
rejoicing among us all. ” 

Thus you see, my friend, that Mosby has begun to 
expand his wings, and you may expect from him soon a 
higher flight. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

CAPTURE OF THE PICKETS AT HERNDON^ STATION. 

Upper Fauquier, March 21st, 1863. 

Dear Percy, — So harassing has been our warfare 
on the Federal outposts in Fairfax, that a brigade of 
Michigan cavalry has been added to the force on that 
theatre of the war, to enable the commander at the 
Court-house to strengthen his pickets to such an extent 
as to render it impossible for Mosby, with his small 
command, to attack them with any chance of success. 

In order to strengthen his command to meet in some 
degree this heavy re-enforcement of the enemy, Mosby 
proposed, while at Brandy Station, to take the dismount¬ 
ed men of General Fitz Lee's cavalry brigade, promising 
to mount and equip them in return for a short term of 
service — a proposition which he thought reasonable 
enough, as he was interposed between the brigade and 
the enemy in Fairfax. But it was declined, and the 
dismounted men were sent in charge of a brigade officer 
to obtain horses and equipments from the enemy .* 

About this time, the original detail with which Mos¬ 
by crossed the Rappahannock, and with which he had 

* The result was, that the dismounted men were soon all cap¬ 
tured ; for it was not so easy as it appeared to be to gobble up 
Yankee cavalry, and get their horses and equipments. 



54 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

performed such brilliant services, was recalled to the 
brigade in Culpepper County on the ground of some in¬ 
formality in the manner in which it had been made. 
But Mosby appealed to his good friend General Stuart, 
and obtained from him an order by which the period 
of service was extended, and, once more on his old field 
of operations, one which had by common consent been 
abandoned to him, he began again to unwind the threads 
of destiny. A proclamation was at once made of an in¬ 
tended raid, and his little band, and all others disposed 
to unite in the enterprise, were notified to meet at Bee- 
tor’s Cross-roads on the 16th of March. 

In response to his call, forty men assembled, of whom 
the usual proportion were “conglomerates.” The com¬ 
mand was drawn up, and General Stuart’s order in ref¬ 
erence to the capture of Stoughton was read, and was 
received with a round of cheers. We then proceeded 
down the Little Biver Turnpike till we reached a point 
below Middleburg, where we struck across the country 
to our left till we reached the neighborhood of Ball’s 
Mill. Here the men were divided into two parties, one 
of which was sent with Dick Moran to find quarters at 
the house of a citizen, while Mosby, with the other par¬ 
ty, passed the night with Nat Skinner, his faithful friend 
and supporter. 

At an early hour the next day the command was 
brought together, and marched in the direction of 
Dranesville. Except the direction of the march, no one, 
save the guide Underwood, knew aught of our leader’s 
purposes. As we tramped through the mud and snow, 
we occupied ourselves with many a conjecture on this 
head, but such was the confidence with which he had in¬ 
spired all hearts that not a man doubted but that ahead 
somewhere there was a good thing in store for us. Un¬ 
derwood, of course, determined the route. At one time 



Capture of the Pickets at Herndons Station. 55 


we were on a highway, at another traversing the blast¬ 
ed and uninclosed fields of Fairfax, and anon we were 
treading unfrequented by-paths, which pursued their de¬ 
vious course through some dense and tangled forest of 
pine. 

Toward noon we struck the Loudoun and Hampshire 
Railroad, about three miles northwest of Herndon’s Sta¬ 
tion, and, crossing it, we entered a pine forest which 
stretched along the railroad toward Alexandria. After 
about an hour’s ride we discovered that Underwood had 
conducted the command to the rear of the picket at 
Herndon’s Station, and that we were approaching it on 
the road leading from Dranesville. 

Mosby now prepared to attack. His first step was to 
send forward two men to capture the vedette, whose at¬ 
tention was engaged with a newsj^aper. He had seen 
the party as they drew near, but had taken it for the 
relief which was expected at that hour. His capture 
was in consequence effected without difficulty, and the 
command pressed forward at a rapid pace. As soon as 
we emerged from the woods and were in full view of the 
object of attack, the force at the station, fifty in number, 
were distinctly seen lounging about the place, wholly 
unconscious of the impending danger. A charge was 
now ordered with drawn sabres, and the men dashed for¬ 
ward on the surprised Yankees. Some were at once 
taken prisoner, but the most found shelter in the houses 
about the Station. The sabre was then exchanged for 
the pistol, and soon an effective fire was opened on the 
enemy through the thin weather-boarding with which the 
houses were incased. A speedy surrender was the con¬ 
sequence. A considerable number of the Yankees, how¬ 
ever, had sought refuge in a saw-mill close at hand. Into 
this building Mosby entered, accompanied by John De 
Butts, and demanded and received the surrender of the 


56 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 


whole party without a shot being fired. After the pris¬ 
oners were mounted, and the command was ready to be¬ 
gin the homeward march, Mosby had his attention called 
to several horses which were fastened near a dwelling 
which the assailants had passed in the impetuosity of 
their charge. A search was ordered. When the house 
was entered, the men discovered in a lower room a table 
set out with a plentiful meal, but none to partake of it. 
The two lower rooms being found empty, the searchers 
ascended to the upper floor. But no one was there, un¬ 
less men were concealed in a garret over one of the lower 
rooms, which communicated by a small door with the 
upper floor on which the searching-party stood. One 
of the men (it was Ames, I believe) approached this door, 
and looked into the dark garret, but could see no one. 
He then called to the Yankees, whom he supposed to be 
there, to come forth and surrender. There was no an¬ 
swer. The demand was repeated, and still no answer. 
The bold partisan then fired his pistol into the obscure 
apartment, and heard a whispered conference between 
parties within. A peremptory demand was then made, 
to which no response was returned. Another shot, and 
Captain Schofield soon made his appearance. But his 
companion, Major Wells, made a more direct and precip¬ 
itous descent into the room below by treading on the 
lathing of the ceiling, which gave way, and landed him 
among the partisans. 

As soon as the officers had delivered up their arms, 
the men attacked the dinner on the table, and soon dis¬ 
patched it. Mosby, with these two prisoners, then re¬ 
joined the command, who were awaiting his return before 
taking up the line of march. 

But Major Wells, under pretense that he could not 
mount his horse, sought to delay our departure until the 
expected relief should come up, seeking by this artifice to 


Capture of the Pickets at Ilerndon s Station. 57 

repair his misfortune. But his guard was a rude fellow, 
and, penetrating his design, with cocked pistol, bade him 
mount at once. The major leaped nimbly into the saddle, 
and the partisan column moved toward Fauquier. 

The prisoners, with a sufficient guard under John Un¬ 
derwood, who was ordered to use all expedition, were 
started in advance; the rest of the command, in charge 
of Dick Moran, following Underwood’s trail, with the 
exception of twelve men, who, with Mosby, lingered be¬ 
hind to protect the rear from being assailed by the ex¬ 
pected relief. In this order we proceeded until we 
crossed the Horse-pen, where the rear-guard overtook 
Moran. Just as we passed this stream the Federal re¬ 
lief galloped up and opened fire on us from the opposite 
bank. There is a lane, formed by two high fences, which 
leads from the margin of the stream to a hill-top dis¬ 
tant about one hundred yards in the direction of Un¬ 
derwood’s retreat. On the crest of this elevation, Mos¬ 
by, strengthened by Moran’s party, halted, and challenged 
the Yankees to cross the water-course. The stream was 
deep, and his plan was to wait until the most of his pur¬ 
suers had crossed it, and then to cha.rge them. He 
doubted not, as he told me afterward, that in this event 
he would have captured or destroyed almost the entire 
party. The enemy, however, dismounted a force, and 
attempted with their carbines to drive us away. Mos¬ 
by stood his ground until Underwood, with the prison¬ 
ers, was safe from pursuit, and the day following rejoin¬ 
ed the command at Chappelier’s, on the Upperville Turn¬ 
pike, near Piedmont. Having become satisfied that 
Wyndham’s threats were only an empty boast, he again 
paroled the privates among his prisoners, twenty-one in 
number, and started them off for Harper s Ferry. They 
were in high spirits, and thought it not a bad thing to 
be captured by the guerrilla Mosby, and get a furlough 


58 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


until they could be exchanged. The officers, however, 
were placed on a different footing, for, after being put 
on their parole of honor, they were ordered in charge of 
Jake the Hungarian, to report to General Fitz Lee in 
Culpepper. 

Now Jake, who had been a soldier with Kossuth, had 
the least possible confidence in a parole of honor. Ac¬ 
cordingly, when the party stopped for the night on the 
route, he resorted to the following cunning stratagem to 
prevent the Federal officers, while he was asleep, from 
slipping off to their countrymen. As soon as they had 
retired for the night, Jake appeared, and in the politest 
manner offered to black their boots ; for, while he had so 
little confidence in a parole, he was yet perfectly convinced 
that no gentleman would go off without his boots. Ac¬ 
cording to the principles of this Hungarian code, all that 
Jake had to do was to hold fast to the boots through 
the night, and this he very carefully did. Up to this 
time, Mosby, while he declined participating in the spoil 
taken from the enemy, had yet been in the habit, when 
he needed it, of reserving a captured horse for his own 
use. As he is ever in the saddle, such a reservation is 
in a manner necessary to his full efficiency; but even this 
jpeculium he has determined to resign, rather than afford 
the slightest color to the accusation preferred against 
him by the enemy, and repeated sometimes in the South, 
that he is a mere mercenary, and makes war subservient 
to avarice. So careful is this remarkable man to vindi¬ 
cate the high motives which govern his conduct from 
the taint of suspicion, that he will not take even so 
much as a halter-strap or a saddle-girth from the rich 
spoil which he daily captures from the enemy. 


The Raid on Chantilly. 


59 


CHAPTER IX. 

THE RAID ON CHANTILLY. 

Upper Fauquier, April 8th, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —Before Mosby disbanded us at Chap- 
pelier’s, he designated Rector’s Cross-roads and the 24th 
of March as the time and place for our next meeting. 
This ample notice was given for the benefit of the u Con¬ 
glomerates,” of whom Mosby on that occasion pleasant¬ 
ly remarked, “They resemble the Democratic party at 
least in one particular, for they are held together by the 
cohesive power of public plunder.” 

As soon as we were disbanded Mosby procured a fresh 
horse, and, accompanied by John Underwood, proceeded 
on a scout to Fairfax. At the end of the sixth day he 
was at the rendezvous, where he found fifty-five men as¬ 
sembled to follow his standard. Among them was 
Captain Kennon, who had served with distinction in 
Wheat’s celebrated Tiger Battalion, and Captain Hos¬ 
kins, an English officer, who brought back a medal from 
the Crimea. 

As soon as this American war broke out, Hoskins re¬ 
signed his commission and sought service in the South- 
era army. At his own request, he was ordered to re¬ 
port to Mosby, which he did on the 24th, when, for the 
first time, I met him. He seems formed for a soldier. 
His temper is brave, elastic, and generous, and his frame, 
though small, is muscular and firmly knit. His favorite 
weapon is the English sabre, which he wears always on 
service, and uses with great skill. 

By his scout to Fairfax Mosby ascertained that the 


60 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 


enemy, three thousand strong, composed of infantry, ar¬ 
tillery, and a brigade of cavalry, were posted at Ox Hill, 
which is about three miles from Frying-pan and Chan¬ 
tilly, at which points they had established outposts, 
composed each of one hundred men of the 5th New York 
Cavalry. The troops stationed at these two places our 
leader determined in succession to surprise. In pursuit 
of this object, he marched down the Little River Turn¬ 
pike, and, at a point about six miles from Chantilly, 
struck out to the right, and then followed the direction 
of the road. As we emerged late in the evening from a 
body of wood about a mile from Chantilly, we encoun¬ 
tered two vedettes, who galloped off in the direction of 
the outpost. Besides these, we saw five or six others, 
about six hundred yards in front of us, observing our 
movements. Finding that his plan for a surprise had 
miscarried, it being late in the evening and our horses 
very much jaded, Mosby concluded to return. But, as 
soon as the command came in view of the vedettes, a 
party of our men, seven or eight in number, broke from 
the ranks, and dashed across the field in pursuit of them. 
Suddenly they came upon a picket of ten men on the 
turnpike, which had been thrown out by the force at 
Chantilly. They were engaged in cooking their rations, 
but soon mounted their horses and hurried after the ve¬ 
dettes. Keys and Seibert, who were better mounted 
than the rest of their comrades, pressed close upon the 
flying enemy, and were only a few paces in their rear 
when they reached a small stream. Here Keys demand¬ 
ed a surrender; but one of the Federals responded by 
turning in his saddle to shoot his pursuer. With a 
quick eye and steady aim Keys anticipated the action, 
and his ball penetrated the forehead of his antagonist. 
Subdued by the fate of their companion, seven of the 
fugitives halted and surrendered to their two pursuers. 


61 


The Raid on Chantilly. 

The party then returned with their prisoners and horses 
to report their success to Mosby, whom they found on 
the summit of a hill which commanded a view of Chan¬ 
tilly, for he had left the command at the Double Toll- 
gate, and had come to look after the party with Keys 
and Seibert, 

From that point he could clearly discern a large de¬ 
tachment of cavalry move out from Chantilly, and pro¬ 
ceed slowly in the direction of the Double Toll-gate, 
and soon saw them joined by a body of equal strength, 
numbering in all about two hundred men. Mosby at 
once hurried back to the command, and fell back up the 
turnpike, feigning a retreat, until he reached a point where 
the Yankees had blockaded the road with fallen trees. 
Here he formed to receive them, fo.r, as he afterward said, 
from his knowledge of Yankee character, he knew they 
would imagine themselves fallen into an ambuscade. 
When the enemy had come within a hundred yards of 
us, Mosby ordered a charge, to which the men responded 
with a vim that swept every thing before them. The 
Yankees broke when we got within seventy-five yards of 
them, and it was more of a chase than a fight for four or 
five miles. 

We killed five, wounded a considerable number, and 
brought off one lieutenant and thirty-five men prisoners. 
Mosby did not have with him more than fifty men, some 
having gone on with the prisoners, and others having 
gone on ahead when we started back, not anticipating 
any pursuit. 

All the men behaved with distinguished gallantry in 
this combat, but Ames seemed fired with a peculiar zeal, 
and his eyes grew brighter as he pressed forward in the 
front to engage his old regiment. As we mingled in 
among the flying enemy, he shot right and left, as if pos¬ 
sessed by the demon of battle. In the hurly-burly one 
of the 5th New York recognized him— 


62 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 


“How are you, Sergeant Ames?” 
u Well,” was the reply, and with a shot from his pistol 
he brought his old acquaintance to the ground. 

Josh Fletcher, of Fauquier, one of the “Conglomer¬ 
ates” in the pursuit, came upon a thick-set Dutchman, 
and dealt him no gentle stroke with his sabre, which in¬ 
duced the fugitive in his guttural tones to propose to 
surrender. But Josh had never studied Dutch, and, as 
he swept by, he dealt him another blow across the head 
which brought the unfortunate man to the ground. 

William Hibbs, known in the command as Major 
Hibbs, had acted -in this fight with so much gallantry 
that Mosby acknowledged it in the presence of the com¬ 
mand. The major, who is the most excitable of men, 
overpowered by this unusual honor, laughed and wept 
in turn, exclaiming, “Well, captain, I knew the work had 
to be done, and that was the way to do it.” 

In reply to his dispatch announcing this success, Mos¬ 
by received the following communication from General 
Stuart: 

“Head-quarters, Cavalry Division, Army of| 
Northern Virginia, March 27th, 1863. ) 

“ Captain, —Your telegram, announcing your brilliant achieve¬ 
ment near Chantilly, was duly received and forwarded to General 
Lee. He exclaimed upon reading it, 

“ ‘Hurrah for Mosby ! I wish I had a hundred like him P 
“ Heartily wishing you continued success, I remain your obedient 
servant, 

“ J. E. B. Stuart, Major General commanding. 

“ Captain J. S. Mosby, commanding, etc., etc.” 


I will now give you an account of a surprise which 
the Yankees gave Mosby a few days ago, that you may 
see how he extricates himself from such difficulties. 

At his next meeting, which was on the 31st of March, 
1863, Mosby mustered a command of sixty-nine men, the 
usual proportion of which was composed of volunteers 


The Raid on Chantilly. 


ea 


from the regular cavalry, at home on detail and furlough. 
Taking the direction of Dranesville, he left the Little 
River Turnpike at Mat Lee’s house. Herndon’s Station, 
where he paused on his route, he found to be no longer 
a Federal outpost, nor did he find the cavalry camp 
which he proposed to attack still at Dranesville ; for 
the fight at Chantilly had induced the enterprising Gen¬ 
eral Stahl to draw in his line of outposts behind Difficult 
Run, a stream which well deserves its name, for it is 
narrow and deep, and rolls over a broken and rocky bed. 
Its steep banks are, moreover, heavily skirted with tim¬ 
ber, which had been felled in order to strengthen this 
barrier of Nature against the assaults of the all-seeing 
and ever-present Mosby. 

Mosby had now redeemed his promise, given to Gen¬ 
eral Stuart as the inducement for that officer to lend him 
fifteen men, that in two months’ time he would compel 
the Federal commander in Fairfax to contract his lines. 
The means of fulfillment was the detail of fifteen men, 
but re-enforced by such auxiliaries as his genius, enter¬ 
prise, and brilliant success had attracted to his standard. 

In Dranesville two sutlers were found who had not 
yet removed their stores, but the men were prohibited 
from interfering with them. Disappointed in his ex¬ 
pectations, Mosby marched his command several miles 
up the Leesburg Turnpike, and camped for the night at 
Miskel’s house, which is on the northern side of the road, 
and is situated on the summit of a hill, at the northern 
base of which, at the distance of half a mile, rolls the 
Potomac. 

From this point could be plainly discerned the high¬ 
lands on the opposite side of the river, and a canton¬ 
ment of Northern troops. On the south side of the 
house, and between it and the turnpike road, are first an 
inclosure of cultivated land, and then a considerable body 


64 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 


of wood. The barn-yard, in which the command was 
encamped, is surrounded by a high fence, and connects 
with the narrow inclosure which surrounds the house; 
and it opens, through a plantation gate, into the field of 
cultivated land, through which the road runs leading to 
the turnpike. There is a fence between this field and 
the body of wood already spoken of, in which is a high 
and strong gate where it is crossed by the road, and 
along the side of this road another fence runs back to 
the barn-yard gate. From the position of these in¬ 
closures it will be seen that Mosby was effectually cut 
off, in case of a sudden attack, from a retreat in the direc¬ 
tion of Dranesville, while Broad Bun empties into the 
Potomac at a short distance from Miskel’s house, and is 
an effectual baarier to all egress in the direction of Lou¬ 
doun and Fauquier. This was the spot which Mosby 
had been compelled to select for the night’s encampment, 
for it was the only place where forage could be procured 
in the country around. The men slept in the barn and 
in the dwelling, which was an ordinary farm-house, while 
their horses were fastened to the fence. 

On account of the temporary and precarious nature 
of his control over the conglomerate body which he 
commanded, Mosby did not, in such inclement weather, 
send out pickets, but kept on duty, as a camp guard, 
only one sentry at the barn. 

As the command marched from Dranesville, Dick Mo¬ 
ran, who came from that neighborhood, stopped to pass 
the night with an old acquaintance, Mr. Green, who lives 
on the margin of the road, about midway between Dranes¬ 
ville and Miskel’s. 

The presence of the Northern army in Fairfax coun¬ 
ty had unsettled and perverted the loyalty of a portion 
of the people. Among these was a woman who lived at 
Herndon’s Station. Intent upon mischief to the South- 


The Raid on Chantilly. 


65 


ern cause, as Mosby passed that place in the afternoon, 
she counted the number of his men, and when her broth¬ 
er returned home at night posted him off to the camp 
of the 1st Vermont Cavalry on Difficult Run, with this 
information, coupled with the fact that they had been 
marched in the direction of Dranesville. As soon as 
this intelligence was communicated to the officer in com¬ 
mand, he resolved not to allow so favorable an opportu¬ 
nity to escape for the destruction of his troublesome 
enemy. 

Captain Flint, for his bravery and skill, was chosen 
for this important service; and a call was made for vol¬ 
unteers from the regiment, which, in so gallant a com¬ 
mand, he found no difficulty in obtaining. Two hund¬ 
red men were selected from those who came forward, 
and were divided into two squadrons, the first being 
armed with the revolving pistol, the second with the car¬ 
bine and sabre. 

About daylight Captain Flint, after passing through 
Dranesville, stopped at Green’s house, where he learned 
that Mosby was then camped at Miskel’s. 

As the confident officer moved off, he exclaimed, “All 
right, boys; we will give Mosby an April fool!” and 
was answered by cheers from the men. As soon as the 
surprise-party had passed, Moran, who had been conceal¬ 
ed in the house, speedily mounted his horse, and rode 
through the intervening farms to apprise his friends of 
their impending danger. 

About sunrise, one of the command informed Mosby 
that the enemy on the Maryland side of the river were 
making signals. He arose and went out to make ob¬ 
servations, when he heard Dick Moran shout, as he rode 
toward the house, “Mount! mount! The Yankees are 
coming!” In a moment the camp was all alive with ex¬ 
citement, and the men hurried to resume their arms and 

E 


66 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


saddle their horses. Mosby passed out of the house by 
the front door which looks toward the barn, and as he 
did so, beheld Captain Flint’s first squadron marching 
through the gate into the field which separates the barn¬ 
yard from the wood. He at once called to his men to 
rally, and told them they had to fight! Mosby’s horse 
was unsaddled, and, as he gained the barn-yard, the first 
squadron was pressing forward, and extending itself in a 
semicircle so as to prevent, as they hoped, any of the 
guerrillas from effecting their escape. 

As the Federals came within pistol-shot of the fence 
which incloses the barn-yard on the side toward the 
wood, they opened a rapid fire upon Mosby’s men, who 
were there engaged in saddling and bridling their horses. 
The fire was warmly returned by the partisans, and, 
when Captain Flint called out to his men to u shoot the 
d—d cowards,” he fell from his horse pierced by eight 
balls. 

But the decisive blow was not struck at this point. 
As the right wing of the Federal squadron was pressing 
down on the barn-yard gate, which is near the house, 
making the air resound with their cries and shouts, Mos¬ 
by still on foot, but with twenty men mounted and ready 
for service, with rare intrepidity and presence of mind 
threw open the gate and advanced pistol in hand, at the 
same time ordering a charge. The twenty dashed for¬ 
ward, and engaged the enemy in a hand-to-hand combat. 
Harry Hatcher, of Fauquier, a private in the 7th Vir¬ 
ginia Cavalry, seeing his commander on foot, with a no¬ 
ble generosity which ever distinguishes his character, 
sprung from his horse in the melee, and offered it to him. 
In a moment Mosby was in the saddle, and, with a wild 
pleasure in his heart, plunged into the thickest of the 
fight, while Hatcher, mounting a Yankee horse, whose 
rider had been shot, soon followed him. The impetuous 


67 


First Dranesville Fight. 

charge of Mosby, who was each moment re-enforced, 
broke through the semicircle, and the assailants at once 
gave way. The right wing of the first squadron was 
routed, and driven back on the second squadron. These, 
instead of advancing to restore the fight, wheeled their 
horses and united in the headlong retreat, while the left 
wing passed around the barn toward the river, and were 
ultimately all captured. 

When the flying enemy had reached the wood, they 
were brought to a halt by an obstacle of an unusual na¬ 
ture, and of their own contrivance. Captain Flint had 
ordered a detail from the second squadron, after it had 
passed through the gate on its route to Miskel’s house, 
to obstruct it with rails so as to enable him the more 
•effectually to destroy the doomed party. The obstacle 
was certainly of a formidable nature, for on each side of 
the gate the fence was both high and strong. Here the 
slaughter of the Federals was the greatest; our men 
riding among them as they herded to this corner, shoot¬ 
ing right and left. Before so great a pressure the gate 
at last gave way, and the disordered and frightened men 
scattered through the woods, and along the road leading 
to the turnpike. 

Dick Moran overtook in the woods a Federal trooper, 
and demanded his surrender. But the man was made 
of better stuff, and, being an accomplished swordsman, 
he closed with Moran, who would certainly have gone 
down in the conflict had not Harry Hatcher come to 
his relief, and by a blow from his pistol terminated the 
combat. 

A portion of Captain Flint’s party succeeded in reach¬ 
ing the Dranesville Turnpike, but the partisans hung 
fiercely upon their rear. The Bev. Sam Chapman, on 
this occasion, illustrated his faith by his works. With 
flashing sabre he was among the foremost of the pur- 


68 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

suers, and, having already killed two Yankees, he dashed 
in between two others, demanding their surrender. But 
he met with the fate of Dick Moran; for the soldiers, 
instead of laying down their arms, vigorously attacked 
him, one of them giving him a severe sabre-cut on the 
head. The reverend gentleman was now in an embarrass¬ 
ing situation, when Hunter (afterward lieutenant) came 
up, and both of the Yankees surrendered. The pursuit 
was continued to Dranesville by the command, and two 
miles beyond by George Whitescarver, Seibert, Welt 
Hatcher, Wild, Harry Hatcher, and the Rev. Sam Chap¬ 
man. During its progress Captain William Chapman 
was overtaken and captured; but one of his command, 
who witnessed the occurrence, soon brought assistance 
and set him at liberty. 

The two sutlers were called upon to partake of the 
fortune of their countrymen, and their merchandise, in¬ 
cluding a quantity of confectionery, was divided among 
the victors. As soon as the prisoners and booty were 
collected, Mosby hurried off toward Fauquier. 

The loss sustained by the Yankees on this April-fooTs- 
day was ten killed, fifteen wounded so badly as to be left 
on the field, eighty-three prisoners, and ninety-five horses, 
besides the animals that were killed. Mosby’s loss was 
one killed, a gallant young fellow from Kentucky, Davis 
by name, who belonged to the artillery service, and three 
men wounded, Ned Hurst, of Fauquier (who has a run 
of luck in that line), Keys, of the 1st Virginia Cavalry, 
and R. A. Hart, of Fauquier, a private in the original 
Black Horse Company, and one of the most gallant men 
in the cavalry service. 

At Rectortown the captures were divided, and from 
thence the prisoners were sent to Culpepper, where they 
were turned over to Brigadier General Fitz Lee. 

Frank Williams, of Fairfax, when Mosby was attacked 


First Dranesville Fight. 


69 


by Captain Flint, was in the neighborhood hunting up 
a breakfast, and, in consequence, was not in the light. 
Indeed, he had been cut off from his command, and in¬ 
ferred, from the formidable array that had gone to attack 
Mosby, that his entire party was captured or destroyed. 
Under this belief, he set off for Middleburg, but not 
until he had captured and taken along with him two 
Yankee soldiers whom he had fallen in with down the 
roadc Frank had just reached his destination, and was 
relating to the listening and afflicted citizens the bad for¬ 
tune which had at last overtaken the gallant Mosby at 
Miskel’s, when up rode old Dick Moran in charge of the 
prisoners and horses. There was a loud laugh at Frank’s 
expense as the citizens came forth to greet Mosby at 
the head of his victorious partisans, and to congratulate 
him that his star was still bright and riding in the as¬ 
cendant. 


70 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 


CHAPTER X. 

DESPERATE FIGHT OF THE HATCHER BROTHERS. -THE DE¬ 

SERTER AMES WOUNDED. 

Upper Fauquier, April 20th, 1863. 

Dear Percy,—I will give you an account of one of 
those accidental encounters which are occurring every 
day between small parties of our men and the Yankees, 
from which you may learn the sanguinary nature of the 
warfare which is now raging all around us. Not only 
is army pitted against army, and squadron against squad¬ 
ron, but man against man wherever they are brought in 
proximity to each other, for this war is now being waged 
with all the fierceness of individual hatred. 

A few days after the surprise at Miskefs house, that 
notable April-fool’s-day, a brigade of Michigan Cavalry 
proceeded from Fairfax toward Fauquier for the purpose 
of retaliation. Halting about a mile and a half above 
Middleburg, on the Little River Turnpike, the news of 
their advance spread rapidly through the country. 

Captain Dan Hatcher and his brother Harry, of the 
7th Virginia Cavalry, were at home on furlough at 
Hatcher’s Mill, on the Little River Turnpike, a few miles 
higher up the road than the point at which the brigade 
had halted. As soon as they heard of the enemy’s pres¬ 
ence in the neighborhood they mounted their horses, and 
stationed themselves on the turnpike. Here they met 
Ames, who had come thither for the purpose of gather¬ 
ing intelligence, and, if opportunity offered, of inflicting 
damage on the advancing column. Thus re-enforced, the 


Desperate Fight of the Hatcher Brothers, etc. 71 

Hatchers moved toward the Yankees, but had not gone 
more than a mile when they were met by a party of 
five, under command of a sergeant, the main column 
following at a short distance. Captain Hatcher, with 
his two men, immediately fell back toward the mill, his 
purpose being to draw the sergeant’s party farther from 
their command. The Federals, nothing loth, pursued un¬ 
til they had gained a point on the road where a high 
stone bridge spans Cromwell’s Hun, which, after turning 
Hatcher’s Mill, crosses the turnpike at this point. Here 
they halted. The Confederates immediately charged them 
from a distance of one hundred and fifty yards, both 
parties being armed with the revolver, and both retain¬ 
ing their fire until within a few paces of the point of 
collision. 

Ames had discharged but one shot when he was dis¬ 
abled by a bullet which passed through his right shoulder. 
The brothers were now left alone to contend with their 
five oj>ponents. Soon Harry Hatcher’s horse was shot 
and tumbled over the bridge, but not until its rider had 
sprung to the ground. But whether on foot or on horse¬ 
back mattered little to Harry, and the fight was continued 
with unabated fury, though in its progress both of the 
Confederates had been wounded. Nor had the Yankees 
escaped unhurt in this desperate encounter. One of them 
lay dead in the road, another was desperately injured, 
and the other three had each received his wound. In 
this condition of things the Federals wheeled, and retreat¬ 
ed toward their column, leaving behind, in addition to 
their two comrades, two of their horses. During the 
fight forty shots were exchanged, and at its close the 
pistols of the two Hatchers were empty. 

This skirmish with the advance put the Yankee com¬ 
mander on his guard, and the brigade advanced cautious¬ 
ly, with dismounted flankers, until it reached Goose Creek 


72 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 


Bridge, from which place, satisfied with their retaliation, 
the Yankees returned to their encampment. 

Soon after the Miskel fight, Mosby sent John Under¬ 
wood, Frank Williams, Walter Frankland, and two others 
to Fairfax on a scout, which deserves notice, as it is the 
first expedition which he has not accompanied in person. 
They proceeded to the vicinity of the camp of the 1st 
Michigan Cavalry, where, from an ambush, they soon 
captured Lieutenant Wallace of that regiment, and two 
men. Starting off with their prisoners, they called at 
the house of a citizen, where a Yankee surgeon was found 
engaged in courting the citizen’s daughter, a young lady 
of known Union proclivities. She had something of the 
lioness about her, and planted herself in the doorway, 
refusing to allow the intruders to pass. But the Bangers 
pushed rudely by her, and, on the very scene of love and 
courtship, captured the love-sick doctor. 

Lieutenant Wallace was known to many of the citi¬ 
zens of Fauquier and Loudoun from his gentlemanly de¬ 
portment when on raids to the upper country, and when 
it was known that he had been captured, many regrets 
were expressed that, instead of him, it had not been one 
of those brutal creatures who sometimes wore and al¬ 
ways disgraced the uniform of a Federal officer. 

When, on the 6th of April, we assembled again by ap¬ 
pointment at Lector’s Cross-roads, we were disbanded, 
with instructions to meet a week later in Upperville. 
But Mosby reserved eight men, with whom he went to 
Fairfax to discover, if it could be found, an assailable 
point of the enemy. He now experienced the effect of 
his own activity, for the Federals were so well protected 
by the barrier of Difficult Bun that he could not assail 
them. Only particular fords were kept open, and these 
were guarded by large and vigilant bodies of cavalry. 
Mosby has thus been compelled to widen his area, or 


Desperate Fight of the Hatcher Brothers , etc. 73 

rather to explore new fields of enterprise. You must 
bear in mind that he possesses as yet no recognized or¬ 
ganization, yet sixty men, on the 11th of April, met him 
at Upperville, a village which lies at the base of the Blue 
Ridge, in Fauquier County, and is within a stone’s throw 
of the Loudoun line. With this command he proceeded 
toward Harper’s Ferry, but was unable to entice from 
that strong-hold a party of cavalry to pursue us, and was 
consequently compelled to return empty-handed. 

A few days after this fruitless expedition, Tom Turner, 
W. L. Hunter, and Walter Frankland were surprised, and 
captured at the house of Mr. Utterback, near Warren- 
ton. Turner attempted to fight through his captors and 
effect his escape, but was badly, and, as it turned out 
to be, mortally wounded. He was carried to Kinloch, 
his father’s residence, near the Plains, where he died soon 
after. This was a serious loss to Mosby, for Tom was 
one of his coolest and bravest men. He had been with 
us but a short time, yet long enough to justify the fol¬ 
lowing letter of recommendation which he brought with 
him from Stuart to Mosby, in which the general said, 
u I can cheerfully recommend Turner as of the right sort 
of stuff for such daring enterprises. He has served with 
distinction in the infantry, had his horse killed under 
him in Maryland, and has on several occasions shown 
great courage, coolness, and gallantry. Give him a 
chance.” 

The other two prisoners were carried to the head¬ 
quarters of General Davis, where they were examined 
by him, apart from each other, as toMosby’s whereabouts. 
They would not respond to such interrogatories. Hunter 
was sent to the guard-house, but Frankland was com¬ 
pelled to walk the circle for several hours. 

It is no more than justice to the Federal army to add 
that many of the officers who witnessed the punishment 


74 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


expressed their indignation at this cruel, unusual, and 
unjustifiable treatment of prisoners of war. 

On the 17th instant, one hundred men, the largest 
command which he has yet had, assembled at Upperville 
to accompany Mosby to his new theatre of operations. 
He had been long casting his eyes across the Shenandoah 
and over the huge mountain-rampart at whose base it 
flows, and watching the movements of the Federal troops 
in the valley, but never until now had he been able to 
collect men enough to justify him in undertaking so 
hazardous an enterprise. General Milroy was at Win¬ 
chester, drawing his supplies by railway from Harper's 
Ferry, and this line of communication Mosby determined 
to assail, thus exchanging his attacks on the enemy's 
front in Fairfax for a far more harassing and dangerous 
warfare upon their rear in the valley. But when we 
reached the banks of the Shenandoah, that “beautiful 
but disloyal stream," as it has been called, we found the 
river-god unpropitious, and, being unable to cross the 
angry waters, we were compelled, for the nonce, to relin¬ 
quish the expedition. 

But I must not let you suppose, in justice to the Con¬ 
federate government, that a commission in theProvisional 
Army of Virginia has been the only offer of promotion 
which has been made to Mosby as an acknowledgment 
and a reward for his brilliant services, for President Davis, 
as soon as he heard of the capture of Stoughton in the 
midst of his camp, at once sent him, through the official 
channel, a commission of Captain of Partisan Rangers. 
But this commission brought with it a difficulty of an 
embarrassing nature, which for a time induced Mosby to 
decline the proffered honor, for along with it came the 
following letter of instructions from General Lee: 


Desiderate Fight of the Hatcher Brothers , etc. 


75 


“ Head-quarters, Army of Northern Virginia, March 23d, 1863. 

“ Captain J. S. Mosby, through Major General Stuart. 

“ Captain, —You will perceive, from the copy of the order here¬ 
with inclosed, that the President has appointed you Captain of 
Partisan Rangers. 

“The general commanding directs me to say that it is desired 
that you proceed at once to organize your company, with the under¬ 
standing that it is to be placed on a footing with all troops of the 
line, and to be mustered unconditionally in the Confederate service 
for and during the war. Though you are to be its captain, the men 
will have the privilege of electing the lieutenants so soon as its 
number reach the legal standard. You will report your progress 
from time to time, and when the requisite number of men are en¬ 
rolled, an officer will be designated to muster the company into the 
service. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

“ W. W. Taylor, A. A. G.” 

At the same time he received a letter, dated March 
25th, 1863, from Stuart, stating that, according to Gen¬ 
eral Lee’s “accompanying instructions, you will be con¬ 
tinued in your present sphere of conduct and enterprise.” 
At the same time he urged Mosby to call his new com¬ 
mand “Mosby’s Regulars,” and not by any means to 
insist upon recruiting a body of Partisan Rangers, on 
account of the bad repute into which that branch of the 
service had fallen with the government 

Almost any man would have at once yielded to this 
command from General Lee and recommendation from 
Stuart, but Mosby had other views. 

According to the law which governs the regular serv¬ 
ice, the captures made from the public enemy become at 
once the property of the government, and must be turned 
over to its authorized agents. This Mosby knew, and 
that there was no power in the military authorities to 
prevent this legal consequence. With the power to dis¬ 
tribute the spoil among his men taken from him, which 
was the meaning of the letter of instructions, he felt- 
conscious that his opening career in the partisan service 


76 


j Partisan Life with Mo shy. 

must necessarily be brought to naught, for he had said 
before that his command resembled the Democratic party 
at least in one respect, that it was held together by the 
cohesive power of public plunder. But this was not the 
only ground upon which he rested his opposition to 
General Lee’s construction of the President’s commission. 
Though he doubted not Stuart’s disposition to continue 
him on the frontiers of the two armies, or General Lee’s, 
though his letter contained no ground for this opinion, 
he still knew that, once mustered in the regular service, 
his hope for developing the new mode of warfare, which 
I have before explained to you, would be lost, or at least 
put to jeopardy. Moved by these considerations, he 
wrote to Stuart in these terms: 

“I have received from the War Office a notice of my appoint¬ 
ment as Captain of Partisan Rangers. The letter of Captain Taylor 
says that they are to he organized with the understanding that 
they are to be on the same footing with other cavalry. The men 
who have joined me have done so under the impression that they 
are to be entitled to the privileges allowed in the Partisan Ranger 
Act. If they are to be denied them I can not accept the appoint¬ 
ment. Please let me know.” 

This letter of Mosby’s was forwarded to General Lee, 
who returned it with the following indorsement: 

“No authority has been given to Major Mosby to raise partisan 
troops, nor has it been so intended. He was commissioned as such 
to give him rank, pay, and command until he could organize com¬ 
panies that could be mustered regularly into the service. He was 
so informed when his commission was sent him, to prevent mistake. 
His commission was limited to himself, and did not extend to his 
troops.” 

I have failed to mention until now (because the two 
commissions were depending on the decision of the same 
point of law) that, as soon as General Lee received in¬ 
formation of the Chantilly fight, he caused a major’s 


General Stahl's Grand Campaign. 


77 


commission to be sent Mosby in recognition of his high 
merits. The question at issue was the construction which 
was to be put upon the President’s commission. Not 
satisfied with the correctness of General Lee’s opinion, 
Mosby appealed to the Secretary of War, who determ¬ 
ined that Major Mosby’s commission entitled him to re¬ 
cruit a command for the partisan service, a decision which 
was acquiesced in by all parties. 


CHAPTER XI. 

GENERAL STAHL’S GRAND CAMPAIGN. 

* Upper Eauquier, May 2d, 18G3. 

Dear Percy,—I have to-day something quite out of 
the common course to relate — a grand expedition to 
Upper Fauquier, under General Stahl. But first let me 
dispose of some matters. 

The command of the Army of the Potomac having 
been transferred to General Hooker after the battle of 
Fredericksburg, he sent a cavalry force to occupy War- 
renton preliminary to taking possession of the Orange 
and Alexandria Railroad. As soon as this was done, 
and the railroad began to be used for transporting troops 
and supplies, General Stuart requested Mosby to inter¬ 
rupt, if possible, this line of communication. In a let¬ 
ter dated April 26th, he said, 

“ There is now a splendid opportunity to strike the enemy in the 
rear of Warrenton Junction; the trains are running regularly to that 
point. Capture a train, and interrupt the operation of the railroad, 
though it may be, by the time you get this, the opportunity may be 
gone. Stoneman’s main body of cavalry is located near Warren¬ 
ton Junction, Bealton, and Warrenton Springs. Keep far enough 
from a brigade camp to give you time to get off your plunder and 
prisoners. Information of the movements of large bodies is of the 



78 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


greatest importance to us just now. The marching or transporta¬ 
tion of divisions will often indicate the plan of a campaign. Be 
.sure to give dates, and numbers, and names, as far as possible.” 

This letter displays, I think, in a very striking manner, 
the importance into which Mosby has raised himself as 
an intelligent and successful co-operator with the army 
of Northern Virginia. In compliance with Stuart’s re¬ 
quest toward the last of April, Mosby assembled at Up- 
perville about one hundred men, intending to strike the 
railroad at some point between Warrenton Junction and 
Fairfax Station. He was, however, turned aside from 
this purpose by an event which I will now relate. 

General Stahl had been put in command of all the 
Yankee cavalry in Fairfax, and determined to signalize 
that event by the destruction of Mosby and his trouble¬ 
some guerrillas, who, he was informed, had erected a for¬ 
midable earth-work at Upperville. To accomplish this 
object, he had determined upon an expedition to Upper 
Fauquier, which should strike terror into the country, 
administer a quietus to Mosby, and, what was of greater 
importance still, be worthy of General Stahl’s reputa¬ 
tion, his dignity, and high command. With two of his 
best brigades of cavalry, numbering twenty-five hundred 
men and four pieces of artillery, he left camp. When 
the expedition reached Cub Run, the advance-guard cap¬ 
tured three of Mosby’s men—Jack Barnes, Taliafero, and 
Ab Wren, who were traveling on foot to Fairfax for the 
purpose of mounting themselves on Yankee horses. It 
was proposed to General Stahl by one of his officers to 
send these prisoners under a guard to Fairfax Court¬ 
house; but he replied that it was impossible for him, 
while on so important and hazardous an expedition, to 
weaken his force for any purpose whatever. “No,” 
said the general, with an air of profound cogitation, 
“the prisoners must be made to accompany the expedi- 


General StdhVs Grand Campaign. 


79 


tion on foot. 1 ' The column, which had been halted until 
this important affair could be disposed of, again moved 
forward with all the pomp and circumstance of glorious 
war, while all the precautions worthy of a prudent com¬ 
mander were observed on the line of march. At Aldie 
the band of prisoners was increased by the capture of 
seven citizens and three of Mosby’s men, Thompson, 
Green, and Hutchison. After passing through Middle- 
burg, General Stahl determined to camp for the night, 
and sent forward his engineers to select suitable ground 
for the purpose, for he reflected that the best military 
men are agreed that the location of a camp in an enemy’s 
country is always a matter of the first importance. The 
Romans, he knew, always put their troops in fortified 
camps on such occasion, and while he could not revive 
that ancient custom, he yet determined to adopt the best 
substitute in his power. The engineers having reported 
a body of wood, a mile beyond Middleburg, as the most 
eligible point within reach, General Stahl ordered up 
the artillery, and opened upon thfe wood a concentrated 
fire, very much to the destruction of the saplings and the 
grievous injury of the trees. Satisfied that not even 
guerrillas could live under so destructive a fire, this pru¬ 
dent commander proceeded to limber up his guns and 
take possession of the camping-ground. Each piece of 
artillery was then placed in such a position as to be most 
serviceable in case of a night attack. The horses were 
then unbitted, but only long enough to enable them to 
eat their corn, and the men, after a hasty supper, were 
ordered (that they might be ready in case of a surprise) 
to sleep by their horses. The night was cold and rainy, 
yet not a fire would General Stahl allow to be kindled; 
for he very prudently remarked that he did not intend 
to light signal-fires to direct guerrillas in a nocturnal at¬ 
tack upon his camp. But there was still another pre- 


80 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


caution taken before the commanding officer would con¬ 
sent to lie down for the night. Strong scouting-parties, 
under enterprising officers, were sent out to scour the 
country in every direction, who, if they performed no 
other service, recommended themselves to the favor of 
their general by bringing with them fifty citizens whom 
they had kidnapped in their beds, and double the number 
of horses taken from their stalls. 

General Stahl had formed the profound hypothesis 
that Mosby’s depredations were committed, not with sol¬ 
diers, but with citizens, who were either too old or too 
young for the action of the conscript law, and had there¬ 
fore been left at their homes. In consequence, none es¬ 
caped him; the halt, the lame, the blind, were all car¬ 
ried off in obedience to his rigid and undiscriminating or¬ 
ders. One old man had been on crutches from boyhood; 
he was dragged from his home and his flannels on the evi¬ 
dence of a Federal soldier, who swore he saw him lead¬ 
ing the charge at the Miskel fight. This motley crew 
was afterward sent on broken-down horses from Fair¬ 
fax Court-house to Washington City, and were paraded 
through the streets as Mosby’s gang, wham General Stahl 
had captured, their chief being said to have narrowly 
escaped with his life. 

The day following the Yankee general set forward to 
destroy the formidable earth-work at Upperville, of which 
he had heard; but Fortune was not propitious on this 
occasion. Before the invading force had advanced half 
way to Upperville, Tom Bichards, with five or six men, 
met the advance-guard, and opened fire upon it. Sup¬ 
posing this to be but a prelude to a general engagement, 
the Federal commander halted his column and placed it 
in line of battle, posting his artillery on neighboring 
elevations. He held this position unmolested for an 
hour, but at the end of that time, that he might disap- 


81 


General Stahl's Grand Campaign . 

point the calculations of the guerrillas and avoid all their 
snares, General Stahl moved abruptly to the left, in the 
direction of Salem, proposing to ret urn to Fairfax through 
Thoroughfare Gap. 

But it is time to return to Mosby. Disregarding the 
presence of the enemy at Middleburg, of which he had 
been duly informed, and desirous of complying with 
General Stuart’s request, he marched through Salem on 
his route to Thoroughfare Gap, through which he in¬ 
tended to pass on his way to the railroad. When he 
came within a few miles of the Gap, he was overtaken 
by Alfred Glasscock and Norman Smith, whom he had 
left on the road, and informed that five hundred of Stahl’s 
cavalry were on his track. He at once expressed his 
intention to turn upon his pursuers, for he said to the 
command, u They are the same men whom we whipped 
at Chantilly and at Miskel’s, and we can do it again.” 
So saying, Mosby reversed his column and proceeded in 
the direction of the Plains; but, after going a few miles, 
he was informed of the true state of affairs, which was 
that General Stahl had altered his plans, and was trying 
to make good his retreat to Fairfax through Hopewell 
Gap; for he had been informed by some one who had 
seen Mosby on his march thither that Stuart’s cavalry 
were at Thoroughfare Gap waiting to intercept him. 

Mosby now abandoned for the time his intention of 
striking the railroad, and determined to harass the re¬ 
treat of General Stahl through the difficult pass of Hope- 
well Gap. With this intent he left the road on which 
he was marching, and struck across the country to the 
road leading from the Plains to the mountain pass. As 
fortune would have it, when he reached the road he fell 
in with the advance-guard of the Yankees, which im¬ 
mediately fell back, and informed General Stahl, who was 
then at the Plains, that Stuart’s cavalry had likewise 

F 


82 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

occupied Hopewell Gap, and were then pressing forward 
to attack him. Upon the receipt of this alarming in¬ 
telligence the Federal general again prepared for action, 
and drew up his forces in line of battle on a hill near the 
Plains, henceforth to be known as Stahl's Hill. 

From an eminence in the neighborhood of Kinlock 
Mosby could plainly observe this movement. The gen¬ 
eral, on a milk-white steed, surrounded by a brilliant 
staff, could easily be distinguished as he sent off and re¬ 
ceived couriers bearing important dispatches. Mosby’s 
classical imagination was carried back to the Retreat of 
the Ten Thousand as that devoted band, surrounded on 
all sides by barbarians, was preparing to cut its way back 
to the Hellespont. 

General Stahl considered himself in a situation of ex¬ 
treme peril, surrounded by enemies who were doubtless 
waiting for the hour of midnight to begin a murderous 
attack. He had been met by Confederate cavalry on his 
march toUpperville, and had turned aside to avoid them; 
they had been seen to hover on his flanks at Salem, his 
scouts had reported them on the road to Thoroughfare 
Gap, and his advance-guard had been just driven back 
by them on their route to Hopewell Gap. This was a 
desperate situation of affairs, from which he could only 
be extricated by the utmost coolness, secrecy, and expedi¬ 
tion. What was to be done ? An inspiration of genius 
suggested a night march. Yes, a night march, thought 
he, will do the business, and thus would he give the slip 
to Stuart, to Mosby, and all evil-disposed persons, and 
get back sound in wind and limb to his camp in Fair¬ 
fax. 

As soon as it was dusk the column was again formed, 
and headed, this time toward Middleburg, the only ave¬ 
nue of escape left open to the beleaguered general. The 
route selected was a private road which leads through 


*5 


General Stahl's Grand Campaign . 83 

the premises of Mr. James William Foster. Mr. Foster 
was astonished at the procession, and inquired of an of¬ 
ficer, 

u Why, sir, where in the world are you going 
The Yankee cunningly replied, 
u Ah, sir! this is too unhealthy a country for us.” 
General Stahl assuredly deserves to be classed with 
the most prudent commanders who have ever carried on 
aggressive war, or graced the page of history. On his 
march, as wakeful and vigilant, he counted the watches 
of the night; he caused not only all the bridges in his 
rear to be torn up, but also fences to be built, and trees to 
be felled across his track, by which means he proposed 
to prevent the fierce guerrillas from charging his rear, 
and spreading confusion and alarm through his ranks. 

Arrived in the neighborhood of Middleburg, General 
Stahl went into camp, but this time in an open field, 
for he was determined to avoid the ambuscades which he 
felt confident had been prepared for his destruction. 

It so happened that by this nocturnal stratagem Mos- 
by came near being captured. He had left, as he sup¬ 
posed, late in the evening the Federal cavalry about to 
go into camp at the Plains, and, upon that supposition, 
had dispersed his command for the night; and gone him¬ 
self to the house of a friend near Middleburg. Great 
was his astonishment when he waked the next morning 
to find himself in the midst of General Stahl’s camp. 

When asked why he did not attack and disperse the 
raiders on their midnight march, he replied, U I knew 
nothing of it, and I had no right to suppose that an idiot 
had been placed in command of two brigades of cavalry 
and four pieces of artillery.” 


t 


84 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


CHAPTER XII. 

DESPERATE FIGHT AT WARRENTON JUNCTION.-THE FIRST 

RETREAT. 

Upper Fauquier, June 2d, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —On account of the lameness of my 
horse, I did not accompany Major Mosby on the expe¬ 
dition which resulted in a severe fight at Warrenton 
Junction, but I will give you the particulars as I have 
received them from Captain Hoskins, Allred Glasscock, 
and others who were present. 

With about one hundred men, on the 2d of May Mos¬ 
by started with the intention of striking in the rear of 
General Hooker at Falmouth, who had commenced the 
movement which soon after resulted in the battle of 

Chancellorsville. At Warrenton our men were received 

% 

with cordial demonstrations by the citizens, who brought 
food to them on the streets, and, when ranks were broken, 
entertained them in their houses. The command biv¬ 
ouacked about two miles from the town, where the 
horses were plentifully fed on grain which had been left 
by the Yankees. 

By sunrise the next morning it was moved off in the 
direction of Warrenton Junction, to which point the 
enemy’s cavalry were reported to have retired, for Mos¬ 
by expected to be able to capture the force at that place, 
and then proceed to carry Gut his original plan. But 
the event did not justify his expectation, and he was 
compelled to abandon his designs on General Hooker’s 
communications. When Mosby came in sight of the 
camp, he discovered that the force, although cavalry, 


Desperate Fight at Warrenton Junction . 85 

was yet quartered in a dwelling-house and two out-build¬ 
ings, situated in an angle made by the two railroads. 
The soldiers were lounging about, and every thing de¬ 
noted a feeling of security on the part of both officers 
and men. Their horses were without saddles or bridles; 
some were tied about their quarters, but a considerable 
number were turned out to graze in an adjoining field. 
Mosby’s men, coming from the direction of Warrenton, 
were at first mistaken by the Yankees for a detachment 
of the 5th New York, which had been sent out on a 
scout; but they were soon undeceived, for the major, at 
the distance of three hundred yards, ordered the charge 
to be made, but it was checked by a miry branch over 
which the men had to pass. This delay gave the Fed- 
erals time to recover in some measure from their sur¬ 
prise, and prepare to defend themselves in the houses. 
As our men approached, they poured a hot fire into them 
with carbines and pistols, wounding several men and 
horses. 

Those who had taken refuge in the outhouses, how¬ 
ever, soon surrendered, and Mosby, with thirty men, pro¬ 
ceeded to attack the main building, in which were crowd¬ 
ed about a hundred Yankees, commanded by Major Steele. 
Here the resistance was stubborn. The Confederates 
would ride up to the windows and shoot those within as 
fast as they appeared, and in this way greatly diminished 
the advantage derived from the possession of the house. 
When the fight had thus lasted for about half an hour, 
Mosby, in order to spare the lives of his men and bring 
the contest to a close, directed Alfred Glasscock to set 
fire to a lot of hay and burn the building. But before 
this order could be executed, Sam Chapman, Mount- 
joy, Harry Sweeting, and John De Butts dismounted and 
forced themselves into the house. Chapman advanced to 
the foot of the staircase and demanded a surrender from 



86 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 


those above. Twenty men came down and delivered up 
their arms. At the same time the inmates of the room 
on the right hand surrendered to his companions, but 
those in the room on the left still held out. John De 
Butts then fired through the closed door, and killed a 
man who was leaning against it; whereupon Sweeting 
and the others burst into the room, where the smoke from 
the gunpowder was so dense as to conceal the respective 
strength of the two parties. Here a number of Federals 
were killed and wounded, and the resistance ^yas con¬ 
tinued until the officer up stairs, finding that the storm- 
ing-party had broken into the house below, and seeing 
the preparations on the outside to burn it, hung out a 
white flag as the emblem of capitulation. 

Mosby was now undisputed master of Warrenton Junc¬ 
tion, having captured, after a sanguinary struggle, the 1st 
Virginia Regiment of Cavalry (three hundred officers 
and men), with all their horses, arms, accoutrements, camp 
equipage, and a fine ambulance. But this success had 
not been purchased without serious loss to the victors. 
Templeman, a gallant soldier, and one of Jackson’s best 
scouts, lay dead near the house, while about twenty of 
the men, among whom was Captain Ducheane, were 
wounded or captured. General Stahl, in his report, ad¬ 
mits a loss of six officers, including a major, and fourteen 
privates killed and wounded. 

Flushed with success, the partisans were in the act of 
saddling up their horses preparatory to leaving, when the 
alarm was given that re-enforcements of the enemy were 
coming. Just then, about three hundred yards off, Mos¬ 
by saw a column of cavalry approaching from the woods 
in the direction of Cedar Run Bridge. The command 
was entirely disorganized and dispersed over the fields, 
catching loose horses and fugitive Yankees. Our leader 
used every endeavor to rally and form the men, but it 


THE PARTISANS’ FIRST RETREAT. 



I 



































































































































































































88 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

was impossible, and there was no alternative left but 
retreat. 

The pursuing party, as soon as they arrived at the 
scene of conflict, divided, the 1st Vermont being sent 
round on the left to intercept Mosby’s retreat, while the 
8th New York charged in the rear. When the men saw 
the Federals swarming in upon them on all sides, the 
retreat became a precipitate flight. Prisoners, horses, 
and other booty were hastily abandoned, and those who 
but recently had fought with such determination were 
now compelled to trust to the fleetness of their steeds. 

Mosby, with a small party, had turned aside into a 
body of pines, where he soon came in contact with the 
Vermonters, who pressed him hard with their pistols and 
sabres. At this point Willie Jones fell from his horse 
badly wounded, and his brother Jasper, roused by the 
spectacle, turned fiercely upon the pursuers. But what 
can one man, even if he have the courage of Jasper 
Jones, accomplish against overpowering numbers? Sa¬ 
bred and shot, the revengeful soldier reeled and fell to 
the ground. Mosby, with the rest of his party, shelter¬ 
ed by the friendly pines, eluded his pursuers, while the 
body of the command scattered through the country, 
but succeeded, nevertheless, in bringing off eight pris¬ 
oners, thirty horses, and a large number of pistols and 
sabres. 

The affair at Warrenton Junction, though a victory as 
well as a disaster, had the effect of damping the ardor 
of the “Conglomerates' 1 to such a degree that only thir¬ 
ty-seven men met Mosby on the 9th of May at Upper- 
ville. They had been instructed by that event that war, 
even with him, was not an uninterrupted flow of victory, 
and that, if they made a habit of going with him, they 
would hpwe blows to receive, as well as blows to give. 

General Stahl was at Fairfax Court-house, with por- 


Desperate Fight at Warrenton Junction. 89 

tions of his command disposed in large detachments for 
the protection of the railroad from Fairfax Station to 
the Rappahannock River. These were too strong for 
Mosby to attack with success, in consequence of which 
he determined to adopt a line of action which would 
compel the Federal general to split his forces into 
smaller bodies. The means which he selected to ac¬ 
complish this result exemplify the fertility of his in¬ 
vention. tie proceeded to break the unguarded rail¬ 
road track and burn all unguarded bridges, and in this 
way reveal to General Stahl other vulnerable points. 
He struck the railroad between Catlett’s and Bristoe’s 
Station, and, after destroying the track, proceeded to 
burn the bridge over Cedar Run. As soon as the fire 
was in full blast, the men were marched by a circuitous 
route to Kettle Run Bridge, where the same destruc¬ 
tive measures were resorted to, but were defeated in an 
unusual manner. During the time occupied in mak¬ 
ing the circuit, a train of nars with a heavy infantry 
guard had passed, but were compelled by the conflagra¬ 
tion at Cedar Run to return, and was so fortunate as to 
reach Kettle Run before the fire at that point had pro¬ 
gressed to a dangerous extent. The cars disembarked 
their infantry, the partisans were compelled to retire, 
and the bridge was saved. 

As the command returned homeward, Harry Sweet¬ 
ing and Dan Thomas captured two infantry soldiers with 
muskets — a bad investment, the partisans considered, 
of time and trouble, and at Greenwich the prisoners 
were paroled, and the command disbanded. This raid 
was called a water-haul by the Conglomerates, yet it 
compelled the enemy to suspend the use of the railway 
for two days , which paid Mosby. 

In his report made about this time to General Stuart, 
Mosby says, “If you would let me have a mountain 


90 


Partisan Life ivitli Mosby. 


howitzer, I think I could use it with great effect, espe¬ 
cially on the railroad trains. I have several experienced 
artillerists with me. The effect of such annoyance is to 
force the enemy to make heavy details to guard their 
communications. I have not attacked any of their rail¬ 
road trains, because I have no ammunition for my car¬ 
bines, and they are pretty strongly guarded with infant¬ 
ry*” 

About a week later, Mosby, with twenty-five men, pen¬ 
etrated within the enemy’s line to within one mile of 
Dumfries, his object being to interrupt their transporta¬ 
tion on the telegraph road, which connects Alexandria 
with Fredericksburg. 

We were feeding our horses at the house of a citizen, 
when the alarm of “Yankees 1 ' was given. Quickly 
bridling up, we did not await their attack, but, led by 
Mosby, went to meet them. After a short hand-to-hand 
encounter, we succeeded in putting our assailants to 
flight, leaving on the field two dead, and five too badly 
wounded to be brought off, besides taking four prisoners, 
eight horses, arms, etc. The lieutenant who commanded 
the party was badly wounded in his right arm, and was 
so conspicuous for his gallantry, that after the fight Mos¬ 
by said to him, 

“Lieutenant, you are too brave a man to fight in so 
bad a cause.” 

As the enemy had taken the alarm, our leader did 
not deem it prudent to remain longer inside their lines, 
and returned, having sustained no loss. An account of 
this expedition was without delay sent to Stuart by 
Fount Beattie, who was instructed to communicate to 
the general all the information which Mosby had ac¬ 
quired with reference to the number and distribution of 
the enemy’s troops. 


Capture of a Train at Catlett's Station , etc. 


91 


CHAPTER XIII. 

CAPTURE OF A TRAIN AT CATLETT’S STATION.—ANOTHER DE¬ 
FEAT.-SELLING A MOUNTAIN HOWITZER DEARLY. 

Upper Fauquier, June 10th. 

Hear Percy,— On the 28th of May, in company with 
Willie Foster, I stopped for the night with Major Mos- 
by at the residence of Mr. Hathaway, Fauquier County, 
a few miles from Rectortown. We were aroused from 
sleep by Fount Beattie, who informed us that he had 
left the Yankees at Rectortown, en route for Mr. Hath¬ 
away's, in pursuit of Mosby. We dressed and saddled 
our horses with all expedition, but when we were ready 
nothing was to be heard of the Yankees. We waited 
a while, and still heard nothing of them, but concluded, 
as a precautionary measure, to betake ourselves to a piece 
of woodland near the house and finish the night. Here 
we slept, without the slightest disturbance, until the sun 
was several hours high the next morning. As we were 
returning to the house, Mr. Hathaway’s little son met us, 
and said, 

“Major, they have taken off pa and all your horses.” 

“Who?” inquired Mosby. 

“The Yankees,” responded the boy. “Didn’t you 
know they had been here ?” 

“How long have they been gone?” 

“Not fifteen minutes.” 

So we dispatched our breakfast, sent out for some of 
the men to meet us at Middleburg, and started after them, 
but they had gotten too far ahead. So we came back, 


92 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

and Major Mosby disbanded the little party, with orders 
to make it known that there would be a meeting of the 
command the next day at Patterson’s. 

The morning was bright and warm, and at an early 
hour forty-eight men had assembled. After the men 
selected for artillery service had been drilled for an hour 
by Lieutenant Sam Chapman, an ex-officer of the Dixie 
Battery, but then detailed on conscript duty in Fauquier, 
the command started for Catlett’s Station, to intercept a 
train of cars. At Greenwich we stopped to get supper, 
and then marched several miles farther, and camped for 
the night near the residence of Mr. Marstella. 

In the morning we proceeded to the railroad not far 
from Catlett’s Station, and near the residence of Squire 
Stone, where we cut the telegraph wires, slipped a rail 
from its place, and put the howitzer in position. 

When it was announced that the train was coming, 

O’ 

Major Mosby ordered Willie Foster, who appears to en¬ 
joy a large share of his confidence, to hold the men in 
readiness. The train came dashing along at headlong- 
speed, and at the appointed place ran off the track. The 
guard, consisting of two hundred infantry, opened fire 
upon us, but were quickly dispersed by a round of grape 
from the howitzer, accompanied by a charge from Foster’s 
men. Thus we were left in undisputed possession of a 
train of twelve loaded cars. We had but little time to 
plunder, as there were cavalry camps on either side with¬ 
in a mile of us. Some of the boys, however, took out 
morning papers, several bags with the United States mail, 
boxes of oranges and candy, leather for boots, and nearlv 
every one got a fresh shad. We then sent a shot through 
the locomotive, fired the cars, and started on our home¬ 
ward march. 

After passing Stone’s house we struck the Bunvell 
Boad, which leads from Catlett’s Station to Haymarket, 


PLUNDERING AND DESTROYING TIIE RAILROAD TRAIN AT CATLETT’S STATION 





































































































































































94 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 


and had not marched more than a few miles when we 
observed the advance-guard of the 5th New York on a 
hill immediately in our front. Discovering by the dust 
that the main body were out of sight in a depression 
beyond, Chapman sent a shell, which fell in their midst, 
killed an officer’s horse, and created great confusion. 
Eager for the charge, Willie Foster dashed forward, and 
had just started the Yankees in flight when he was re¬ 
called by Mosby, in consequence of erroneous information 
which he had received. 

The command was again started through the fields, 
Foster being left behind in command of a rear-guard. 

Soon after we had passed Squire Stone’s, the 7th Mich¬ 
igan Cavalry, under command of Colonel Mann, came 
up and searched the house for Mosby, but did not imme¬ 
diately commence the pursuit, for the reason that he 
was informed by a colored woman that the party who 
had destroyed the train were only a portion of a much 
stronger force which had been held in reserve. Soon, 
however, being largely re-enforced, Colonel Mann fol¬ 
lowed our retreating column. The rear-guard under 
Foster checked the pursuers several times by firing on 
them from an ambuscade, but was finally driven back. 
A few shots from the howitzer, however, arrested for a 
time the pursuit, and thus we continued to skirmish un¬ 
til within half a mile of Warren Fitzhugh’s house. 
There discovering the overwhelming numbers by which 
he was followed, and that it would be impossible to get 
off the howitzer, Mosby resolved to make the Yankees 
pay for it as dearly as possible. With this intent Chap¬ 
man was sent in advance to select an eligible position 
on which to post the gun, while Mosby, with six men, 
lingered in the rear to retard the progress of the enemy. 
Soon a hand-to-hand conflict began with the advance- 
guard, consisting of about fifteen men, whom we succeed- 


95 


Capture of a Train at Catlett's Station , etc. 

eel in driving back, but we lost in the encounter the gal¬ 
lant Captain Hoskins, who fell from his horse mortally 
wounded. 

Chapman took up a position on a hill at the head of 
a narrow lane which turns abruptly to the right from 
the Burwell Road, and is about a hundred yards distant 
from the Fitzhugh House. The Feclerals came up in 
gallant style, and, in column of fours, crowded into the 
lane. At a distance of eighty yards we opened on them 
with grape, followed by a vigorous charge of cavalry, 
and drove them before us half a mile in confusion. 
Twice again did they rally, and as often were sent reel¬ 
ing back. At last our ammunition was exhausted, and 
we were forced to abandon the gun, but not without a 
fierce hand-to-hand struggle, in which many of the enemy 
were made to bite the dust. 

% 

In the melee Mosby received a slight sabre-cut on the 
arm. Lieutenant Chapman and privates Mountjoy and 
Beattie stood by the gun until surrounded by the ene¬ 
my. Chapman and Mountjoy were captured—the for¬ 
mer having been shot through the thigh when fighting 
with the rammer of the gun. George Turberville, one 
of “Mosby’s young roosters,’’“acted on this occasion 
with great gallantry as driver, and drove the caisson 
from the midst of the Yankees out into the woods, where 
it was not found for several days. The gun which we 
lost on this occasion only returned to the hands of its 
original owners, for it had been captured from the Yan¬ 
kees at Ball’s Bluff, near Leesburg, in the battle of the 
23d of October, 1861. The enemy lost in this fight, by 
their own admission, five killed and fifteen wounded; 
and Stuart sent Mosby word that he would send him 
another gun of the same size if he would sell it as well. 
The brave Hoskins was carried from the field to the res¬ 
idence of Mr. Charles Green, where he soon after died. 


96 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

His remains are buried in the Greenwich church-yard, 
and the spot will be respected by all who honor the char¬ 
acter of a gallant soldier and thorough gentleman. 


CHAPTER XIY. 

FIGHT AT THE FRYING-PAN CHURCH. 

Upper Fauquier, June 20th, 1863. 

Dear Percy,— On the 3d of June fifty men assem¬ 
bled at the invitation of our leader, and marched to the 
vicinity of Frying-pan Church, with the view of assail¬ 
ing parties from the 5th and 6th Michigan Cavalry, 
camped at Fox's Mill, which is situated half a mile from 
the by-road, and six miles from the church. The night 
was cool, and, according to Mosby’s invariable custom, 
the men were allowed to build fires in the pines in which 
they were camped. A party, consisting of Bush Under¬ 
wood, Sowers, Frank Williams, Minor Thompson, and 
John Saunders, was sent, under the charge of John Un¬ 
derwood, to attack a patrol from the Michigan camp 
which passed on the Ox Road during the night. Mos¬ 
by’s object in this was to induce the commander at Fox’s 
Mill to send out one or more parties for the purpose of 
looking after the nocturnal assailants. Underwood 
placed his men in ambush, and fired upon the patrol as 
they passed, killing one horse and wounding three of the 
soldiers. The stratagem succeeded. A little after day¬ 
light, Underwood, who had been watching the road lead¬ 
ing from the enemy’s camp to Frying-pan Church, re¬ 
ported fifty Yankees marching toward the latter place. 
Mosby immediately ordered us to mount and march 

down the road in their rear; but before we came in smltt 

© 

of them, Underwood galloped up and reported that the 



97 


Fight at the Frying-pan Church. 

first party had been re-enforced by about sixty men, and 
had halted at the church. 

“The more the better, 11 replied Mosby; “I am in 
their rear. Forward, trot, charge! 11 

Their rear-guard, which had likewise halted in the road, 
was driven before us in so thick a cloud of dust that 
their comrades at the church could not fire upon us for 
fear of injuring their own friends. But not so with us. 
Amid yells and exploding revolvers we rushed upon 
them, and, after a short and desultory resistance, put 
them to flight. It is Mosby’s opinion that we would 
have captured the entire force, but for the presence of a 
squadron of Michigan cavalry who were posted across 
the road a few hundred yards lower down. As soon as 
this discovery was made he drew off his men from the 
pursuit and returned to Fauquier, bringing with him 
seven prisoners and ten horses. In the fight the enemy 
had three killed and several wounded, but we sustained 
no loss, except the capture of Dr. Alexander, a volunteer 
surgeon, who was with us on that occasion. 

On the morning of the 10th of June one hundred 
men assembled at Rectors Cross-roads, thirty of whom 
belonged to Captain Brawner’s company of independ¬ 
ent cavalry. On this occasion Mosby's first company, 
A, was organized by the election of James William 
Foster, Jr., of Fauquier, Captain; Thomas Turner, of 
Maryland, First Lieutenant; William L. Hunter, Second 
Lieutenant; George Whitescarver, of Fauquier, Junior 
Second Lieutenant. 

Captain Foster entered the regular service in May, 
1862, as a private in Captain Turner Ashbys cavalry 
company, where he served without any casualty, except 
having his horse killed under him at Kernstown. During 
the latter part of his service with this company he was 
made a sergeant, and was frequently put in command of 

E 


98 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 



CAPTAIN FOSTER. 


small detachments. He had been sent to Fauquier with 
a squad of twelve men who had been furloughed for the 
purpose of recruiting their horses, but when he disband¬ 
ed them at Salem they agreed to join him and go with 
Mosby on his next raid. This was the Chantilly fight, 
an account of which I have given you in a previous 
letter. In this encounter, Sergeant Foster, with Ames, 
Willie Brent, and Tom Turner, composed the first set of 
fours who charged the enemy, and bore himself with such 
distinguished gallantry as to induce Mosby to confer 
upon him the honor of being his first captain. Thomas 
Turner, of Maryland, won his commission in this same 
engagement. Lieutenants Hunter and Whitescarver have 
already been brought to your notice as prominent actors 
in the Miskel fight. 

As soon as the company organization was completed, 
Mosby set forth for the purpose of making a night at- 







Fight at Frying-pan Church. 


99 


tack on two cavalry camps of the enemy on the Mary¬ 
land side of the Potomac. About ten o’clock at night 
we reached the river at a point opposite to Muddy Branch, 
where we procured a guide to pilot us across. Finding 
the water at this point too deep, our guide undertook to 
conduct us to another ford lower down, but unfortunate¬ 
ly lost his way, and did not find it until daybreak. Thus 
was Mosby’s plan for a night attack frustrated. 

When the command reached the ford, Nelson, Glass¬ 
cock, and Trunnel were sent across to capture a cavalry 
patrol on the tow-path of the Chesapeake and Ohio 
Canal, if possible, without firing a shot. Having crossed 
the river and secured their horses, the three men con¬ 
cealed themselves in the bushes, and, on the approach of 
the patrol, sprang out, seized their horses by the bridle 
reins, and presented their cocked revolvers. The patrol, 
which was composed of only two men, quietly surrender¬ 
ed, and were taken back to Mosby, who had crossed the 
river, impatient at the approach of day. 

With Nelson, Glasscock, and Trunnel, re-enforced by 
three others as an advance-guard, the command moved 
up the tow-path, and soon overhauled a canal-boat, from 
which were taken five mules. We proceeded then at a 
trot, and the advance-guard met and captured another 
patrol, consisting of four men, but not without firing. 
This alarmed a picket who was stationed at a bridge 
over the canal not far distant. He immediately turned 
the bridge and fled to the camp, which was a half mile 
distant. This occasioned some delay, and gave the Yan¬ 
kees time to prepare to receive us. As we approached, 
we saw the officer in command ride along his ranks 
waving u the old flag” and exhorting his command to 
stand firm. But it was to no purpose. His men, ninety 
in number, before we got within pistol range fled in con¬ 
fusion toward Poolesville. 



100 


Partisan Life with Moshy. 


Mosby ordered his command to halt and destroy the 
camp, but Captain Foster, with Lieutenant Turner, Al¬ 
fred Glasscock, Major Hibbs, Ned Hirst, Carlisle, and a 
few others, not understanding the order, pressed on in 
pursuit about a mile, when they reached a bridge, on the 
farther side of which, near Seneca Mills, the enemy 
were drawn up to dispute the passage. Here the fight 
was continued until Mosby came up. He at once called 
out, u Men, we will charge themand, with Frank 
Stringfellow at his side, dashed across the bridge, follow¬ 
ed by the command. The enemy again gave way, and 
this time to rally no more. A running fight was kept 
up for a mile beyond the bridge, in which Captain 
Brawner and Lieutenant Whitescarver were killed. 

The enemy's loss was seven killed, a considerable 
number wounded, seventeen prisoners, thirty horses, and 
“the old flag.” Our loss was the two officers mention¬ 
ed and Alfred Glasscock, who was badly wounded. The 
remains of Lieutenant Whitescarver were carried by his 
relation, Joe Nelson, to the house of a citizen, and by 
him interred near the spot where he fell. Those of 
Captain Brawner were recovered the next day by his 
company. Alfred Glasscock, at his own request, was 
taken across the river and left at the house of an ac¬ 
quaintance. While here he was visited by the Federal 
officer who had been in command at the fight at Frying- 
pan Church. He said to Glasscock, 

“You belong to Mosby V 

Glasscock. U I do.” 

Federal Officer. “ I fought him once at Frying-pan 
Church. ” 

Glasscock. “I was there, but I did not see much 
fighting.” 

Federal Officer. “ Mosby did not fight fairly. He 
surprised me, and the night before had bushwhacked 
some of my men.” 


Mo shy s Adventures in Search of Information. 101 

Glasscock. “The bushwhacking was to draw you from 
camp; the surprise to whip you, and, the odds consider¬ 
ed, I think the fight was a fair one.’ 1 

This affair created a great excitement in Washington. 
A cavalry force was dispatched at once to Leesburg to 
ascertain what it meant, and De Forest’s cavalry, camped 
at Kettle Run, marched to Upper Fauquier to intercept 
our return. General Stahl, too, again unfurled his battle- 
flag, and moved his cohorts from Fairfax. One of these 
bodies of cavalry, in passing through Middleburg, cap¬ 
tured Captain Foster and the splendid gray horse which 
Mosby had given him as a mark of his appreciation. 


i 


CHAPTER XV. 

mosby’s adventures in search of information. 

Upper Fauquier, June 25th, I 860 . 

Dear Percy, —When we returned from our expedi¬ 
tion to Maryland, our horses were so much broken down 
that we found it necessary to recruit them a while. 

When General Lee was pressing Hooker toward the 
Potomac, Mosby called to see Stuart, who was at Mid¬ 
dleburg, with his command thrown forward toward Al- 
die. After a short conference with the general, he re¬ 
turned to the party who had accompanied him, and 
started again for the neighborhood of Seneca. We had 
not proceeded more than two miles, when firing was 
heard in the direction of Aldie. The cause of it, as we 
soon learned, was a collision between Kilpatrick and 
Rosser, who had met unexpectedly at that place. Mos¬ 
by, with sixty men, moved around by Oatlands, the resi¬ 
dence of Mr. George Carter, so as to gain a position in 
rear of Kilpatrick on the Little River Turnpike. 



102 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

A corps of infantry had reached Gum Spring, anoth¬ 
er had gone to Leesburg, and Mosby thus found himself 
interposed between the cavalry and infantry of Hooker’s 
army. With this information a courier was sent to 
General Stuart, who, for the first time, learned where 
Hooker was. 

It was dark before we reached the turnpike, and on 
our march thither we had captured a number of prison¬ 
ers. 

Leaving the command concealed in the woods, Mosby, 
accompanied by Charlie Hall, Joe Nelson, and Norman 
Smith, proceeded to the road, where they espied three 
horses fastened near a dwelling-house, with an orderly 
standing by them. He rode up to the man, and was 
informed by him that the horses belonged to Major Ster¬ 
ling and Captain-. In a whisper, he then said to 

the orderly, who was an Irishman, 

“My name is Mosby; keep quiet. 11 

The man understood him to say that he (the Irish¬ 
man) was Mosby, and very indignantly replied, 

“No, sir, I am as good a Union man as ever walked 
the earth. 11 

“Those are the very sort I am after, 11 replied Major 
Mosby. 

Just then the officers made their exit from the house. . 
When sufficiently near, Hall stretched out his hand to 
take the major’s arms. Supposing him to be an ac¬ 
quaintance, Major Sterling offered his hand, and was 
thunderstruck when he was informed that he was a pris¬ 
oner. And well he might be, for he was the bearer of 
important dispatches from Hooker to Pleasonton, his 
chief of cavalry. 

Mosby proceeded to a house near by, where, after pro¬ 
curing a light, he discovered what a treasure he had 
captured. The dispatches informed Pleasonton of all 



Mosby's Adventures in Search of Information . 103 

\ 

Hooker’s plans, and all the information which he want¬ 
ed to obtain. 

This information, so important, was intrusted to the 
courage, the prudence, and the fidelity of Norman Smith. 
At twelve o’clock at night Norman set forth, and just as 
the first faint dawn appeared the dispatches were placed 
in General Stuart’s hands. 

After the prisoners had proceeded a short distance, 
they were informed by Hall that Mosby was their cap- 
tor. At this they were highly amused, and, when asked 
the cause, replied, “We have laughed so much at our 
men for being gobbled up by Mosby, that we can not 
help laughing at being caught ourselves.” 

We slept that night in the woods within half a mile 
of the camp of the 5th Corps, and early the next morn¬ 
ing moved lower down the turnpike near Pleasant Val¬ 
ley, where farther important information was obtained 
about the disposition of Hooker’s army. Here we cap¬ 
tured two well-stored sutler-wagons drawn by six horses, 
which we gutted in the woods. One sutler was indeed 
a prize, for he had six hundred dollars in greenbacks 
on his person, and was leading a very fine mare, which 
belonged to the lieutenant colonel of the 73d Ohio. 
The mare was at once dedicated to the partisan service. 

With thirty prisoners and horses, Major Mosby re¬ 
turned to report in person to Stuart, and crossed Bull 
Bun Mountain by an unfrequented bridle-path, as Han¬ 
cock’s corps was at Thoroughfare Gap, and Pleasonton 
still at Aldie. 

Two days after these occurrences, Mosby, with sixty 
men, started for Fairfax across Bull Bun Mountain. It 
was night, and one of the men dropped his hat, and, 
stopping to get it, halted that portion of the column in 
his rear. The command moved forward, and thus be¬ 
came separated. The men who had thus been cut off 


104 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


despairing of finding Mosby amid such wild scenes, dis¬ 
banded and returned to their respective quarters, while 
he at a farther point on the mountain camped for the 
night. 

Early the next morning we passed through Dr. Ew¬ 
ell’s farm, and were near Ewell’s Chapel, when we dis¬ 
covered fifty cavalry in our front. Mosby was in the 
rear, and the column, thirty-five strong, halted for him 
to come up. Instead of attempting to retreat, our lead¬ 
er, with that heroic impulse by which he is ever ani¬ 
mated, ordered a charge, determined to burst through 
the impediment thus suddenly presented to his progress. 
The cavalry broke and fled. With Hall and Mount-joy 
at his side, he discovered, on approaching the church, 
that the cavalry had been put there as a bait, and that 
he was, in fact, involved in an infantry ambuscade. The 
infantry poured a volley into the advancing partisans, 
wounding Hall, Mountjoy, and Ballard. Extricating 
himself by the exercise of great coolness and courage 
from this perilous situation, Mosby halted at a point 
about a mile distant, from which he sent off the wound¬ 
ed. General Meade had been informed the night before 
by a negro, who had seen Mosby go into camp, that he 
would pass Ewell’s Chapel early the next morning. The 
general rejoiced greatly at the opportunity thus thrown 
in his way of ridding the Federal army of so harassing 
an adversary, and proceeded to prepare for him the dead¬ 
ly snare. 

But Mosby, undismayed, started again at midnight 
for the Little R-iver Turnpike, which he proposed to 
make the scene of operations. Stuart’s quarter-master 
was deficient in animals for transportation, and this want 
our leader was desired to supply. His first capture con¬ 
sisted of four wagons, each drawn by six mules. These 
animals, together with several prisoners and horses, were 


Mosby s Adventures in Search of Information. 105 

dispatched to the Confederate camp, while Mosby pur¬ 
sued and overtook a train of twenty wagons. As soon 
as the horses and mules were unhitched they were started 
for the same destination along with their negro drivers. 
The cavalry escort was in advance of the train. Taking 
the alarm, they soon returned to avenge the affront and 
recapture the prize. Our men, only fifteen in number, 
took to the woods in order to save the plunder, but lost 
a good many of the animals in their flight, as well as 
three of our number, who were taken prisoners. This 
capture was effected within a mile of General Birney’s 
camp, who, in retaliation, came down and caused the house 
of a citizen near by to be pillaged and burnt. 

About this time Mosby received a note from Stuart, 
requesting him to ascertain for General Lee if Hooker 
was crossing the Potomac. In compliance with this 
request he took with him two men, and, crossing the Bull 
Bun Mountain, entered the turnpike below Mat Lee’s. 
While he was conversing with a citizen in relation to 
the movements of the Federal army, two soldiers rode 
up, who were captured and sent to the woods in charge 
of one of his companions. Soon after four lieutenants 
approached him, and without suspicion, for both he and 
his companion had oil-cloths over their shoulders to pro¬ 
tect them from a drizzling rain. After some conversa¬ 
tion Mosby introduced himself to the startled officers. 
Having procured a good deal of valuable information, 
lie sent a dispatch to General Stuart along with the six 
prisoners in charge of his two men. 

Mosby was now alone, and proceeded toward Frying- 
pan, but stopped to visit his trusty friend, Miss Laura 
Batcliffe, who lived not twenty yards from the highway. 
From her I received the following account of his visit: 

“When Hooker’s army was watching General Lee, 
trying to find out his intentions, Beynolds’s corps was 


106 


Partisan Life with Mosby, 


camped at Guilford Station, and the wagon-trains, with 
cavalry escorts, were constantly passing our house to and 
from the railroad. One day a soldier on a white horse, 
with an oil-cloth around him, rode up to the house, and 
we could scarcely believe our own eyes when we found 
it was Major Mosby. He dismounted, and came in to 
see if we had late papers or any news, and left his horse 
standing at the front door. One of my sisters was so 
afraid the Yankees would come while he was here that 
she- led his horse behind the barn, and kept him there 
till the major was ready to start; but he did not appear 
the least uneasy, nor did he make a hurried visit. That 
evening two Yankees came to our house and told us that 
it was rumored that Mosby had ridden several miles with 
them between here and Guilford; that when he got ready 
to turn off he had said ‘good-evening, 1 and then dashed 
through the woods, and was out of sight in an instant. 
I told the men the story was improbable, but suppose it 
was really true. 11 

Having procured from Miss Laura the information of 
which he was in search, Mosby proceeded to the house 
of John J. Coleman and called for him. Just then two 
cavalry-men approached and stopped under a tree in Mr. 
Coleman’s field to pick cherries. Mosby rode up, and, 
presenting his pistol, demanded a surrender, and two 
members of the 5th New York Cavalry submitted as 
prisoners. In consequence of this capture on his premi¬ 
ses the Yankees threatened to burn Mr. Coleman’s house, 
and would have done so, but for the generous interposi¬ 
tion of General Reynolds. 

Mosby then returned to the turnpike, along which a 
large wagon-train was passing, guarded by a cavalry 
escort. But nothing daunted, he determined to pass 
through the wagons and the escort, carrying his prisoners 
with him. Accordingly, after tying the halters of their 


Mosby s Adventures in Search of Information. 107 

horses together, he started off. Sometimes he was so 
close to the cavalry as almost to touch them, and nothing 
prevented the prisoners from giving the alarm but the 
certainty that immediate death to at least one of them 
would be the consequence. In this way Mosby pro¬ 
ceeded until, reaching a convenient point, he turned off 
and directed his course to Fauquier. He reported with¬ 
out delay the important intelligence he had gained to 
Stuart, who was charmed with the boldness as well as 
the success of the exploits by which it had been ob¬ 
tained. 

At this interview General Stuart communicated to 
Mosby his intention of crossing the Potomac between 
Hooker and Washington, and, at the same time, the 
wish that he should command his advance. He agreed 
to the proposition, and, collecting about twenty of his 
men, proceeded to cross the Bull Bun Mountain for the 
purpose of meeting Stuart where Cub Bun crosses the 
Little Biver Turnpike, the place of rendezvous. But 
the plan was frustrated by a movement of General Han¬ 
cock, who, interposing his command, compelled Stuart to 
make a circuit by Brentsville. 

In consequence of this derangement of their plans, 
Mosby the next day disbanded his men at the Sudley 
Springs, but reserved eight, with whom he went on a 
scout to Pleasant Valley, where in a little while he cap¬ 
tured a surgeon and a trooper. He then crossed the 
Braddock Boad, which he found occupied by soldiers, 
artillery, and droves of cattle for the army. But the 
smallness of his party forbade an attack. 

The captured surgeon, who expressed his surprise at 
the appearance and bearing of Mosby and his followers, 
as well as at the good treatment which he had received 
at their hands, was soon after released on condition that 
he would procure the liberation of Hr. Alexander—a 


108 


Partisan Life with Mosby, 

condition which was readily agreed to by the medical 
gentleman, and speedily complied with by the authori¬ 
ties at Washington. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

ADVENTURES BETWEEN THE LINES OF THE OPPOSING ARMIES. 

Upper Fauquier, July 30th, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —I take my pen to-day to give you a 
rapid survey of our operations from the time that the 
Confederate army crossed the Potomac until the time 
that the Rappahannock again became the dividing line 
of the hostile armies. It forms a novel and interesting 
chapter in Mosby’s military life, and shows how fertile 
he is in expedients when pressed by difficulties. 

After failing to connect with Stuart, Mosby returned 
to Middleburg, where he collected about thirty men, and 
crossed into the Valley for the purpose of joining Gen¬ 
eral Lee in Pennsylvania. He struck for Mercersburg, 
where he understood a portion of the Southern army 
could be found, but, on reaching that place, discovered 
that it had moved. Finding himself in a hostile coun¬ 
try with a mere squad of soldiers, and ignorant of the 
position of Lee’s army, Mosby determined to return to 
Virginia, but brought with him about three hundred beef 
cattle, which he turned over to the Confederate States 
commissary at Winchester. At that point he heard of 
the defeat of our army at Gettysburg. 

From Winchester Mosby visited Richmond on official 
business, and on his return appointed a meeting for his 
command at Rector’s Cross-roads. But the advance- 
guard of General Meade having reached that point, he 
was compelled to change the rendezvous to Rectortown. 



Adventures between the Lines of the Armies. 109 

where he collected about thirty men. In order to reach 
the rear of the invading army, he made a detour by way 
of the Plains, and camped that night in sight of the 
lltli Corps, which was about Mountsville, in Loudoun 
County. On his way to this point he met Bush Un¬ 
derwood who, with two men, had captured at Benton’s 
Ford of Goose Creek a lieutenant colonel, a major, and 
an orderly. 

Early the next morning Mosby captured three heavily- 
laden sutler-wagons and forty-five prisoners, and while 
thus engaged fell in with General Carl Schurz, who was 
riding out, and chased him with hot speed into his camp. 

The next day the horses were divided among the men, 
and the prisoners were put in charge of Tom Lake, with 
a detail of five men, to be conducted to Culpepper Court¬ 
house—a task of no little difficulty when we remember 
that the country through which Lake had to pass was 
occupied by hostile troops. 

These results got the citizens (who are chiefly Quakers) 
into trouble, for the next morning the Yankees, infuri¬ 
ated, sent out and arrested many of those living in the 
vicinity. A very ludicrous occurrence happened in this 
connection, for several of Mosby’s men who had ingrati¬ 
ated themselves with the Friends were captured along 
with them. But the boys all got Quaker hats and Quaker 
coats, and it was laughable in the extreme to hear them, 
with sanctimonious looks, theeing and thouing the Yan¬ 
kees. But it all passed off well, for the Quakers were 
soon turned loose, having found no difficulty in establish¬ 
ing their innocence. 

Two days later Mosby started from “Camp Spindle,” 
which he had established in the Bull Bun Mountain 
since the occupation of Fauquier and Loudoun by the 
Northern army, and returned to its rear. Near Circle- 
ville he came in sight of nine wagons prepared to forage 


110 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


among the Quakers, and such was the feeling of security 
that no guard had been deemed necessary for their pro¬ 
tection. The wagons were captured and set on fire, and 
with fifty-six horses and mules and twenty prisoners 
Mosby returned to the Bull Bun Mountain. This affair 
got the Quakers again into trouble, and another order 
was issued for their arrest. 

Mosby next began to operate farther to the front of 
Meade’s army, between Salem and the Plains. As he 
was marching from his mountain fastness to the latter 
place, he captured two cavalry-men loaded with the spoils 
of a poultry-yard. By them he was informed that a 
large number of mules had been turned to pasture near 
the Plains, guarded by forty artillerists. Upon these he 
made a swoop, and, in full view of the enemy’s camp, 
carried off mules and guard to his mountain rendezvous, 
laughing at the infantry who were sent in pursuit of 
him. 

The untiring partisan returned in the evening, and, 
concealing his command in the woods, took with him 
Fount Beattie and Norman Smith to a hill-top, and pre¬ 
sently saw two officers ride out from camp. When they 
had advanced far enough for him to get in their rear he 
charged them, and for three miles the exciting chase con¬ 
tinued. With bloody spurs, the bare-headed officers 
made for a wood at the extremity of a lane into which 
they had entered. But as they approached it they came 
upon two ladies, who, appreciating the situation, drew 
up their horses to witness the sport. As Mosby and 
his two companions passed them, they cheered with wav¬ 
ing handkerchiefs, and pointed out the direction which 
the fugitives had taken. The race was then soon brought 
to a close, and the two Federals were taken to the Bull 
Bun Mountain, from the crest of which could be plainly 
seen the Northern army camped in the Plains below. 


Adventures between the Lines of the Armies. Ill 

With five or six men Mosby then rode to Fishback’s, 
almost within the purlieus of the Yankee camp. Here 
he found a dozen cavalry-men, mounted on officers’ horses, 
and foraging for an officers’ mess. These were added to 
his list of prisoners, and sent to join the captured officers. 

I will now give you a personal adventure of Mosby’s 
which happened about this time, which illustrates strik¬ 
ingly, I think, one of the remarkable traits of his char¬ 
acter. With Fount Beattie he was one day asleep in a 
piece of woods a little above Hathaway’s, when a par¬ 
ty of Yankees came and searched the house for him. 
While they were thus occupied, one of the soldiers rode 
to the woods to look for horses that might there be 
concealed, and approached the sleepers. As he was lev¬ 
eling his pistol to shoot Mosby awoke, and, springing 
to his feet, wounded his assailant’s horse in the head. 
He turned to fly, and, as he di-d so, the partisan chief 
lodged another bullet in his saddle. Before the search¬ 
ers could be summoned to the spot, the Bangers were 
“over the hills and far away.” 

Meade’s army now took position in the vicinity of 
Warrenton. While the movement was being made 
Mosby followed the various corps, and hung upon their 
rear. After the last corps had passed, a major, with 
thirty men, was sent back to look after him, but fell in 
with Norman Smith and another man near Mrs. Lewis’s 
house, who were riding some distance in advance of their 
command, and chased them to the mountain. In the 
mean time Mosby rode up to inquire the news from Mrs. 
Lewis. She came out and implored him to save him¬ 
self by instant flight, for the major, she said, had break¬ 
fasted under her roof, and had declared that if he cap¬ 
tured Mosby he would hang him to the first tree. But 
our leader laughed at her fears. At this moment the 
Yankees were seen coming across the mountain toward 


112 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

the house, ancl, as fortune determined, Mosby’s com¬ 
mand of eighteen men appeared on the scene at the same 
time. They were led instantly to the charge. Up the 
mountain-side they dashed, leaping over two stone fences 
which lay across their track. The Yankees broke and 
fled round and round the mountain, followed by the guer¬ 
rillas, the fun equaling that of any fox-chase. 

The boastful major who had so wrought upon the 
fears of Mrs. Lewis was caught squatting under a bush. 
Thirteen men and a lieutenant were also captured. But 
the lieutenant was the last caught, and not until he had 
several times made the circuit of the mountain, and, like 
Beynard when the mouthing dogs are at his heels, had 
struck out in the direction of a pine forest. Mosby, 
however, was upon his tracks, and, after the chase had 
continued thus for more than a mile, his horse, entirely 
spent, refused to proceed farther. The lieutenant was 
still fifty yards in advance, and had reached the top of 
a high hill, when his pursuer resorted to an expedient 
which succeeded well. He fired at the Yankee, shout¬ 
ing “halt!” The officer reined up, and rode back with 
his pistol down, Mosby thought, to fight. But it was 
to surrender. 

The prisoner was mounted on a magnificent gray 
horse, and in the most piteous accent said, 

u You won’t take my horse, will you ?” 

“The devil I won’t,” replied his captor, “what do 
you suppose I was chasing you for?” 

This gallant officer was a lieutenant of the 17th Penn¬ 
sylvania Cavalry. 

During the period of General Meade’s advance through 
Loudoun and Fauquier, Mosby was entirely cut off from 
all communication with Lee’s army, and was compelled 
by the enemy, who swarmed in every neighborhood, to 
abandon his usual haunts. He did not, however, as you 


Adventures between the Lines of the Armies. 113 

have seen, retire before them, but established his camp 
on the crest of the Bull Bun Mountain, from which he 
descended like a mountain wolf and made daily forays 
upon the enemy. The amount of his captures during 
this period was one hundred and eighty-six prisoners, 
one hundred and twenty-three horses, twelve wagons, 
fifty sets of fine harness, arms, etc. 

Encompassed as he was with enemies, a general belief 
prevailed that he and his band had been destroyed; but 
Stuart, who knew him better, said, “No, hell turn up 
yet, right side up.* 1 And so it was. 



H 























114 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


CHAPTER XVII. 

“THE ICE-CREAM RAID.”-MOSBY AMONG THE WAGON-TRAINS. 

Upper Fauquier, September 1st, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —As soon as the army of General 
Meade had taken a position around Warren ton Mosby 
broke up his camp on the Bull Run Mountain, again dis¬ 
persed his men among the citizens, and resumed his war¬ 
fare upon the enemy’s communications. Meade’s base 
of supply was now Alexandria, and Centreville, in the 
line of his communications, was occupied by a strong de¬ 
tachment of troops. With this object in view, Mosby, 
with twenty-six men, proceeded to the vicinity of Ger¬ 
mantown, a group of hovels which stands, or rather 
stood, for it has since been destroyed by the Yankees, at 
the junction of the Little River and Warrenton Turn¬ 
pikes. In a short distance of this place, on the road to 
Fairfax Court-house, he captured a sutler-wagon, accom¬ 
panied by three men, which he sent to Germantown in 
charge of two of the Rangers to await his return. 

At the Court-house several other sutler-wagons were 
found, and also several Yankee stores. One wagon was 
loaded with cavalry boots, others with a variety of mer¬ 
chandise suited to the use of the army, and one contained 
ice cream, which in the command has given its name to 
the raid. 

A suitable guard was detailed for these captures, 
while Mosby, with the rest of the command, proceeded 
to a wagon-camp one mile below the town. Near the 
camp the men were halted under cover of a hill, and 
Bush Underwood and Welt Hatcher were sent forward 


115 


Moshy among the Wagon-trams. 

to reconnoitre. They found the wagons without a guard, 
and the drivers all asleep except two—one a Dutchman, 
whom Hatcher treated in a very uncivil manner. They 
were drinking, and as he passed him Welt pulled the 
bottle out of the Dutchman’s hand, an unwarrantable 
liberty for which he received a sound cursing. The 
wagons, twenty-nine in number, were soon captured, and, 
as they were laden with valuable stores, Mosby determ¬ 
ined, contrary to his custom, to attempt to bring off the 
rich booty—a hazardous enterprise, with a large force of 
the enemy at Centreville, from which point parties could 
easily be sent out to intercept him, and with Union men 
strung along the road to play the part of informers. 

Having collected his prizes into one train, as he pro¬ 
ceeded on his return, Joe Calvert, a brave and reliable 
man, was sent to the front to notify Mosby of the ap¬ 
proach of any force in that direction. Mosby for a sim¬ 
ilar purpose remained in the rear. After advancing in 
this way up the Little Diver Turnpike for eight miles, 
an ambulance-train, guarded by twenty-five cavalry, was 
reported in his front. u All right,” he remarked to Bob 
Gray, who communicated the information, “we will just 
take them too.” At Mat Lee’s, just as day was break¬ 
ing, Mosby rode to the front for the purpose of attack¬ 
ing the ambulance escort, when he saw the flash of a pis¬ 
tol. With eight men, the amount of his available force, 
he dashed forward, and found that Joe Calvert had been 
attacked and driven back by a party stationed on the 
road, and that Bush Underwood, who had been the first 
to go to his support, had received a severe sabre-cut. 
The Yankees were then charged, routed, and hotly }}ur- 
sued to within a hundred yards of Mount Zion Church, 
when, lo! a regiment of cavalry appeared in line of bat¬ 
tle across the road, and at once moved forward. It had 
marched, under command of Colonel Lowell, from Cen- 


116 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


treville during the night, in consequence of information 
that Mosby was below, and had thrown out, as a picket, 
the force of twenty-nine men which he had encountered 
on the road. 

It was now time for Mosby to retreat, but he first at¬ 
tempted to deceive the enemy as to his strength, while 
he dispatched a courier to inform the men with the 
wagons of the overwhelming attack in his front. The 
wagons were hastily abandoned, but fifteen of the prison¬ 
ers, with many horses, were carried to Landmark, in the 
Bull Bun Mountain. To that point Colonel Lowell 
pursued and rescued all the prisoners. 

The enemy lost on this occasion two men killed and 
four wounded; Mosby's loss was one man wounded and 
one taken prisoner. 

The day after the loss of the sutler-wagons Major Mos¬ 
by collected about twelve of his scattered forces and 
started again for Fairfax Court-house, near which he 
found a wagon-train camped for the night and guarded 
by cavalry. As he rode across the field he came upon 
seven of the escort, who had left their command to have 
a comfortable sleep in a hay-stack. They were captured 
and ordered to saddle up, never doubting but that they 
were arrested by their own provost-guard for straggling. 
Early the next morning, after making additional cap¬ 
tures from the neighboring cavalry-camp, the command 
was moved to a position on the turnpike about one mile 
below the town, where it was left, and Mosby took Harry 
Sweeting, Jack Barnes, and another, and went on a scout. 
Between Anandale and Alexandria they encountered 
three wagon-masters lying in the shade, with their pistol- 
belts unbuckled. From them the partisan leader learned 
that a large wagon-train was loading in the woods at no 
great distance, and that the cavalry escort had gone off 
on a scout. He then told them his name was Mosby, 


MOSBY AMONG THE WAGON-TRAINS 




































































































































































































































































































































































118 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

and ordered them to give up their arms, which they did 
promptly. 

Presently the train emerged from the woods on the 
turnpike, and, as each wagon drove out, it was ordered 
by Mosby to be taken to a designated spot. The teams 
from about forty, together with their drivers, were start¬ 
ed up the road, Jack Barnes being put in front. When 
he returned to his command, Mosby found that the men 
had overhauled seven sutler-wagons. It was a rich 
spoil, and all hands, prisoners included, were allowed to 
plunder. It was a jolly sight to witness the delight with 
which the Yankees appropriated the good things of which 
their countrymen had been despoiled. 

News of Mosby’s presence on the turnpike below 
reached Centreville, and a party was dispatched to an¬ 
ticipate his return, but this time without success. 

A few days afterward, with a party of twenty men, 
he captured two hundred wagons, but was only able to 
bring off the horses and a part of the spoil. 

In an expedition to Paget’s about this time, near Alex¬ 
andria, thirty prisoners and thirty wagons were captured, 
with about seventy horses and mules, but many of them 
were lost, in consequence of the party being compelled 
on their return to travel unfrequented paths. 

During this month’s operations four hundred prison¬ 
ers were sent to Stuart. Innumerable expeditions from 
Meade’s army and from the force around AVashington 
were sent to capture our chief, but with no success. 

Among the captures which were made that I have 
not mentioned was a train of nineteen wagons and twen¬ 
ty-five prisoners, which was secured near Anandale, and 
seven sutler-wagons on the Little Piver Turnpike, where 
it is crossed by Accotinck Creek. So much of the con¬ 
tents as they desired was appropriated by the men, and 
the wagons and the rest of the merchandise were then 


119 


Mosby among the Wagon-trains . 

destroyed. Being in want of information which he 
could not otherwise obtain, Mosby, with a companion, 
entered a sutler’s camp at Bailey’s Cross-roads. As 
the weather was warm, he wore only his shirt and a pair 
of blue pantaloons, and, thus habited, approached one of 
the wagons, the owner of which was standing behind his 
table ready to serve all customers. The partisan chief 
called for a glass of beer and a piece of cake, and, at the 
same time, entered into conversation with the unsuspect¬ 
ing merchant, and extracted from him the information 
of which he was in search. He then bade the sutler a 
courteous farewell, and proceeded to avail himself of the 
knowledge he had acquired. I shall now pass over sev¬ 
eral similar captures to those I have related, and only 
give you the details of one other, which is known in the 
command as the Boot Baid. It consisted of a number 
of sutler-wagons, and was made between Fairfax Court¬ 
house and Alexandria, at a point where Mosby had left 
his command, under Lieutenant William Smith, conceal¬ 
ed in the woods, while he, with two men, had gone on a 
scout. The prize, as soon as secured, was removed from 
the road into the pines, and then followed its examina¬ 
tion. Boxes were broken open, and their contents scat¬ 
tered on the ground. Boots, hats, and other clothing 
were first appropriated, and the men, dressed in their 
new clothes, strutted about, objects of mutual admiration; 
cans were despoiled of their delicious fruits, while cham¬ 
pagne bottles poured forth the precious liquor. As the 
bottle circulated the scene became more noisy and gro¬ 
tesque, and was becoming riotous, when Lieutenant 
Smith, with an air of authority, arrested it by ordering 
the men to prepare to return to Fauquier. 

Three Piangers were left behind to inform Mosby of 
what had been done, who, on his return, ate heartily of 
the canned oysters, fruits, etc., which had been left for 


120 


Partisan Life with Mosby, 


him, and then set out to overtake the command. Night 
had set in before he joined them, and, as they had to 
pass a point where a party of his men had been bush¬ 
whacked on a previous occasion, he expressed some con¬ 
cern lest the attack might be repeated. This suggestion 
produced a general state of excitement, and as they enter¬ 
ed a wood, the object of their apprehension, all were on 
the alert for the first sound of the bushwhackers. Soon 
a great rustling was heard among the leaves, and each 
man wheeled his horse to avoid being shot from the am¬ 
bush. Down the road they galloped for a quarter of a 
mile, scattering in their flight the boots, clothes, boxes 
of cigars, hats, and other articles of which they had just 
despoiled the sutlers. At last they rallied, and, after a 
careful reconnoissance, discovered that their dreaded ad¬ 
versary was a prolific old sow with her fifteen pigs. 
When the plunder was divided near Mat Skinner’s, each 
man got three pair of boots, besides his share of the 
other articles. 

I will, before concluding this letter, give you an ac¬ 
count of the fight at Gooding’s tavern, in which our 
leader was badly wounded, and in consequence of which 
he is still absent from his command. 

On the 23d of August, Mosby, with thirty-five men, 
reached a position near Anandale, and, after posting them 
in a wood, took with him Norman Smith and Jack 
Barnes to go on a scout. Late at night the party stop¬ 
ped to sleep in a haystack at Bavensworth, a private 
residence, and when they awoke in the morning found 
themselves in full view of and close proximity to an en¬ 
campment of Yankees. Without being suspected, they 
quickly saddled up and returned to Anandale, having 
discovered several unguarded bridges. From the wood 
Mosby saw a drove of a hundred horses pass up the 
road under guard of forty cavalry. He at once decided 




Mosby among the Wagon-trains. 121 

to attack this party, and to postpone burning the bridges 
until night. Mounting his command, he followed in their 
rear until he came within half a mile of Gooding’s tav¬ 
ern, where the Yankees halted to water their horses. 
Mosby also halted, and detached Lieutenant Tom Tur¬ 
ner, with half the command, to make a circuit so as to 
attack the escort in front, while he fell upon their rear. 
While this movement was being executed, twenty non¬ 
commissioned officers on furlough, under charge of a 
captain, came up. This was an event for which Mosby 
had made no calculation, but there was no help for it. 
So at them he dashed, driving them back toward the es¬ 
cort, which was still at the tavern. With Norman Smith 
at his side, Mosby led the charge upon the combined 
parties, and routed and scattered them in all directions. 
A few took shelter under cover of the houses, but were 
soon silenced. At the very moment of victory, Mosby 
was shot through the side and thigh, and was borne to 
the woods by Dr. Dunn, the surgeon. The men, not un¬ 
derstanding it, followed their leader, which gave the 
Yankees time to escape. But for this accident they 
would all have been captured. As soon as Mosby was 
aware of it, he ordered the men to go back, which they 
did just as Lieutenant Turner came gallantly charging 
up, having attacked and routed another party above. 
Six of the Yankees lay dead on the field. Over a hund¬ 
red horses fell into the possession of the partisans 
(though a good many were lost in bringing them off at 
night); also twelve prisoners, arms, etc. Mosby s loss 
was two killed and three wounded. Lieutenant Shriver, 
of Maryland, a gallant soldier, was one of the victims 
of this fight; the other was Norman Smith, of whom 
Mosby said, “He has left the memory of a name which 
will not be forgotten till honor, virtue, courage, all shall 
cease to claim the homage of the heart. 11 Lieutenant 


/ 


122 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


William Smith, of the Black Horse, on duty with us, act¬ 
ed on this occasion, as he always does, with conspicuous 
gallantry. 

Lieutenant Turner succeeded to the command, and, 
after dispatching the prisoners and horses to Fauquier, 
proceeded to burn the bridges before alluded to. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE PARTISAN CHAPLAIN AT HIS DEVOTIONS. 

Upper Fauquier, September 22d, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —On the return from a scout to Fairfax 
I broke off at New Baltimore, and crossed the Pig-nut 
range of hills, determined to execute a purpose which I 
had long entertained, of paying a visit to the Rev. Dr. 
Gog, the chaplain of our command. In my rambles and 
adventures in many parts of the world I have acquired, 
as you know, no small degree of skill as a woodsman 
and land pilot. This, added to some knowledge of Up¬ 
per Fauquier, enabled me, without difficulty, to find his 
abode. As the doctor is a character the like of whom 
is not met every day, I will give you some account of 
the exterior of his dwelling. In front of it was a grove 
of forest trees, from which was cut off, by a dilapidated 
post-fence, a spacious and level yard, covered with luxuri¬ 
ant greensward, which in some places was eaten close to 
the ground. It was an ordinary farm-house, constructed 
of wood, with the first floor on the ground. The owner 
had abandoned it when the Northern army first pene¬ 
trated the country, and had left it in the custody of a 
family of negroes, who still occupied one of the out¬ 
houses. In a corner of the inclosure was a copious 
spring of clear cold water, at which a woman was en- 



The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions . 123 

gaged in washing clothes, some of which had been hung 
to dry on the fence, while others had been spread over 
several snow-ball bushes which grew hard by, a row of 
which appeared at one time to have formed a half circle 
in front of the house. 

A large and powerful iron-gray horse, marked with 
the United States brand, which I at once recognized as 
the property of the parson, was fastened by a halter- 
chain to a heavy block, and was quietly cropping the 
verdant sod. But these rural features did not complete 
the picture. To the trees in the grove full fifteen horses, 
with military equipments, were fastened, and I reason¬ 
ably inferred that their riders had sought this holy place 
for religious consolation. The only important peculiar¬ 
ity in the interior arrangement of the building was, as I 
afterward learned, a large hall- or dining-room on the 
east side of the house, which the present occupant called 
“the chapel. 11 Judge, then, of my surprise, when, as I 
approached this parsonage, or “glebe, 11 as the doctor 
himself sometimes calls it, I heard sounds of revelry 
issuing from the interior of the chapel. I determined 
to reconnoitre the position, for it occurred to me as far 
from improbable that a raiding-party had invaded these 
sacred premises, and were desecrating them with ribaldry 
and song. With a stealthy step, as catlike as that with 
which a North American savage approaches his victim, 
I drew near an open window from which the noise pro¬ 
ceeded. It was mantled by vines and running roses, 
which clung to a trellis, and were then trained up the 
sides of the window. Standing here, my concealment 
was complete, while, by putting aside the branches of 
a honeysuckle, I obtained a view of the interior of the 
apartment. 

All apprehension was at once set at rest by the ap¬ 
pearance of the chaplain himself, not occupied with sacred 


124 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 



MOSBY’S CHAPLAIN AT HIS DEVOTIONS. 


meditation, prayer, or penitential hymns, but instead I 
beheld a scene which has shaken my confidence in the 
severity at least of his religious code. The floor of the 
room could not, I am sure, have been swept since the 
owner had left the house, or refugeed , in the phraseology 
of the day. In addition to an astonishing accumulation 
of trash, it was scattered over with odd boots and shoes, 
sword-belts, broken bridles and discarded gear of that 
kind. But one article of furniture deserves a more par¬ 
ticular notice. It occupied one of the corners of the 
room, and was a very large brass-plated saddle, with 
stirrups and bridle-mounting to suit, the property of 
the worthy churchman. It was the pride of his heart, 
and had been presented to him, he told me, by his pa¬ 
rishioners, as, in ecclesiastical phrase, he called the men 
of the battalion. Broken chairs and broken benches 
added to the decorations of the chapel. I did not find, 










































































































































































The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions. 125 

as I have said, Dr. Gog engaged in the exercises of relig¬ 
ion, but instead hewas sitting at the head of a table in 
a huge arm-chair, engaged in the unclerical employment 
of playing cards with his visitors. A red flannel shirt, 
open at the breast, with the sleeves tucked up to the 
elbows, blended in horrid sympathy with a suit of coarse 
red hair as it fell upon his shoulders. In his lap lay a 
cat of unusual size, purring and sleeping, and anon look¬ 
ing gravely in his master’s face as he would pass his hand 
along the animal’s back and striped tail with evident 
pleasure. This was the parson’s principal pet, his “chief 
of staff, ” he would pleasantly say, and had been trained 
to fly at any object upon which it was set. It had been 
named Ajax on account of its bellicose disposition, and 
the master’s love for his fierce quadruped was of no or¬ 
dinary strength. How it delighted him to take one of 
Ajax’s paws, expand it on the palm of his hand, and 
admire the length and sharpness of its claws! At the 
doctor’s feet and under his chair lay several terriers— 
Brindle, Trip, Mustard, Bing, and Sweetheart, which at 
intervals shared with Ajax their master’s caresses. A 
large tumbler of spirit was set on his right hand, from 
which the doctor would often sip with evident relish. 
Some four or five of the company were engaged with the 
game, while the others stood around the players, but not 
uninterested spectators, for from time to time they would 
make special or by bets, as they are called, as the game 
progressed. 

At the other end of the table was seated Mr. Black- 
well Magog, the friend, the relative, and often the boon 
companion of his host. Like his great “contemporary,” 
as he often called the parson, he is of large proportions, 
is much encumbered with flesh, and is by several inches 
the taller of the two. There are a great many points 
of dissimilarity between the two men, yet there exists 


126 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 


still what might be called a family likeness, for, as the 
parson has often remarked with great emphasis, “blood 
will show. 11 

This observation, as remarkable for its truth as its 
originality, is strikingly illustrated in the persons of the 
portly cousins. Some of the men, struck, doubtless, by 
the covert and unexplained resemblance, call them “The 
Twins, 11 though so monstrous a brotherhood is evi¬ 
dently excluded by the possibilities of nature. Still 
the astronomers call them “Gemini, 11 the Castor and 
Pollux of guerrillas, and no star-gazer could, on the 
score of magnitude at least, contest the right of two such 
figures to form a constellation in the zodiac. With so 
grand an apotheosis, even such powerful spirits as Gog 
and Magog ought, in all reason, to be content. Outside, 
or rather inside of these physical points are many coin¬ 
cidences of disposition, which add strength to the par¬ 
son’s emphatic but unoriginal apothegm. Both of these 
gentlemen enjoy keenly the pleasures of the table; both 
like a relish of brandy, or new-dip, if better can’t be had ; 
both are devoted to the chastened society of cultivated 
females; both love cards, at which one of them is an 
adept; and both are fond of war, at least the quarter¬ 
master’s department of it, and would follow a wagon- 
train or hang round a corral of horses with the pertinac¬ 
ity of a famished jackal or a Cossack wolf; and, finally, 
both are avowed devotees of the grape. This trait is so 
conspicuous in the character of each of the worthy rela¬ 
tives, that Mr. John B. Jeffries wittily called them “Grog 
and More Grog.” This alteration in their patronymics 
took the rounds of the battalion, very much to the scan¬ 
dal of the parson. One of the “young roosters” thought 
it so good a thing that on one occasion he addressed the 
chaplain as Dr. Grog, and was very properly knocked 
down for his impertinence. A blow from the parson’s 


127 


The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions . 

fist soon became proverbial in Mosby’s confederacy, and 
was called a papal bull, and no one was ever so contu¬ 
macious as to have it thundered against him a second 
time. After that the joke fell into disrepute, or was 
never alluded to except behind the doctor’s back. 

Di. Gog, as you already know, is the inducted chap¬ 
lain of the Rangers, .and Mr. Blackwell Magog is the 
chief of staff—both high officials. 

Turning once more to the other person of this duality, 
we will find much to admire in Mr. Blackwell Magog, 
and I am sure you will be entertained by a more partic¬ 
ular account of him. The most conspicuous trait, then, 
in the chief’s mental organism is a high poetical temper¬ 
ament—a mind of an imaginative cast. This is a rare 
endowment, and makes the chief a very extraordinary 
person. I do not assert that-he has. ever composed a 
great poem like the Iliad, or Childe Harold, or any other 
masterpiece that elevates human genius almost to the 
rank of the archangels, or even that he has ever amused 
his leisure with the lighter productions of the muse, such 
as sonnets, odes, madrigals, or lyrics. No, the chief has 
devoted himself to the active pursuits of life, and has 
had no time for such literary flirtations. But still, I re¬ 
peat, he is a poet. “Let me illustrate,” as the puzzled 
lawyer says when he is entangled in the meshes of his 
own argument, “let me illustrate.” If the chief were 
to undertake to relate any occurrence that he had seen 
or heard, no one could possibly recognize the story. 
His creative genius being brought immediately into 
play, he would brood over the subject, and a transforma¬ 
tion would at once take place. The egg would hatch, 
and a bird of Paradise would come forth with its bril¬ 
liant plumage; the dull and commonplace, becoming elec¬ 
trified, would be sentimental or heroic, tragic or comic, 
according to the nature of the subject, the condition of the 


128 Partisan Life with Mo shy. 

atmosphere, or the mood of the mighty magician, or “the 
great Dundidler,” as the guerrillas sometimes call him. 
As a Walter Scott, by a magical process known only to 
men of genius, would transform a rustic lay or a wild 
legend caught from the lips of some 'untutored peasant 
into an immortal poem or a prose-drama destined to be 
embalmed in the memory forever, or a Homer would 
turn an obscure and half-remembered tradition into an 
Iliad, with its divine and human actors blended in a 
wondrous harmony, so Mr. Blackwell Magog can met¬ 
amorphose the most ordinary transaction into an aston¬ 
ishing romance, investing it with the brilliant hues of a 
fervid imagination. This.is what I mean by being a 
poet, for the best critics are agreed that it is the creative 
power that forms the poet. 

A practical inconvenience, however, has resulted from 
this exuberance of fancy not generally felt by the chil¬ 
dren of song. His friends and admirers—and Mr. Black- 
well Magog has a great many friends and admirers—not 
knowing where the poem ends and where the history 
begins, are puzzled in the attempt to separate the golden 
ores of fancy from the dross of fact. But little by little 
this inconvenience has abated, for his intimate associates 
have come to regard the chief as a rich placer, indeed a 
nugget in which there is little else than the pure metal. 
A singular result has ensued from the outpourings of 
this abundant spring of fiction, the enrichment of the 

English tongue by a new and very expressive word_ 

blackivellism , which the parson uses to designate these 
flights of fancy. It is an ill wind that blows nobody 
good, and a redundant imagination has added a very 
beautiful word to the dictionary — another key to the 
wondrous organ of human speech. To sum the whole, 
Mr. Blackwell Magog is an example of a man in whom 
the faculty of memory is overwhelmed and confounded 
by the energy of a creative imagination. 


The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions. 129 

The chief and the parson, or rather the parson and 
the chief, for among Mosby’s men the Church is always 
piously preferred, were on this occasion sitting, as I have 
said, at opposite ends of the table. Contrasted with 
some of the figures around them, they looked like hip¬ 
popotami on the banks of the Senegambia, come forth 
from the liquid element to bask in the warmth and radi¬ 
ance of an African sun. 

Parson. “By the groves of Venus and the wine-presses 
of Bacchus, never was a man so persecuted by Fortune 
as I have been to-day. I have lost not a dollar under 
three hundred in greenbacks, as good as Chase ever is¬ 
sued from his paper-mill. Ministers of grace! and all 
this bad luck has been brought upon me by that profane, 
awkward, heavy-built, whisky-drinking, calico-stealing 
guerrilla, Mr. Blackwell Magog. I have never had any 
luck when that fellow has been about, especially at cards. 
I believe he would ruin the fortune of a saint, much less 
of a humble minister like me. 11 

A voice from one of the by-standers responded with 

emphasis, 

“ Well, doctor, I am not surprised at that. You will 
have to keep a sharp look-out in this crowd. These are 
stirring times, I tell you, reverend sir!” 

Parson. “You are quite right. A man, or woman 
too, for that matter, must keep wide awake here. But 
that fellow has ever been a bird of ill omen to me.” 

John Do> Butts. “Egad,you might with more proprie¬ 
ty call him a bird of prey, for he has plucked many a 
pigeon in his time.’ 

u No, no,” responded a very youthful soldier, “Mr. 
Blackwell Magog is a vulture. 1 

u Why?” inquired several voices. 

“Because,” responded the youth, “he preys on Dr. 
Gog. 


I 


130 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Parson (with, dignity). “I am offended, and I shall take 
no farther notice of yon. 71 

Johnny Alexander. “ I humbly ask your pardon. I do, 
on my honor, parson.” 

Parson. “ I can not understand why Mosby, who ap¬ 
pears to have some sense about other matters, should take 
these young chaps into his command. They are like two- 
year olds, fit neither for the saddle nor the collar, yet are 
able to consume the provender and fill the room of a 
valuable beast. By Pluto! he will have to build a nurs¬ 
ery for them. How I would like to have charge of the es¬ 
tablishment wdtli a keen cowhide !” 

Mr. Blackwell Magog. “ Indeed, I think it would suit 
you much better than the Church.” 

George Smith. “That’s not my opinion. He would 
corrupt the morals of the youth committed to his care, 
but here he can at least do no harm. Mr. Blackwell 
Magog will next propose him as the principal of a female 
academy. Wouldn’t that position suit his style ?—regu¬ 
lating the dress and behavior of young ladies, and put¬ 
ting on the last touch for society!” 

“ Yes,” exclaimed several voices, “ the parson would 
make a splendid duenna.” 

Johnny Munson. “Are you not afraid, parson, lest 
your dissipated habits come to the colonel’s ear? He 
would without doubt dismiss you from your post.” 

Parson. “ What, I should be pleased to know, has he 
to do with the discipline of the Church? He knows 
enough of business to mind his own affairs. As long as 
my code of religious morals does not forbid murder and 
horse-stealing, I do not know what the like of you have 
to object to it. You may learn from the page of history, 
John Munson, and I suppose you have been flogged 
through enough of it to learn that this thing has been 
often tried by worldly men, but the Church has always 



131 


The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions 

\ 

come off victorious. Kings and emperors liave been made 
to bow to the mitre. Besides, this Mosby of yours is a 
good deal of a humbug.” 

Several voices. “ How ? tell us how!” 

Parson. “ Because, sirrahs, I never knew a man of 
real genius who wasn’t fond of French brandy. But 
your master never touches a drop of the ardent. Look 
at Alexander the Great how he went it! Didn’t he 
die in an orgie ? Then there’s Mark Antony, one of the 
best soldiers of Rome, and Plutarch thinks one of the 
greatest men of antiquity, he was drawn through Italy on 
a car crowned and attended as the god Bacchus. Go to 
our own army, too; have I not seen, while the troops lay 
at Manassas, a revel among high officers that would shame 
a Bacchanal ?” 

Johnny Munson. “Noble models you propose for the 
imitation of our commander — a drunken Greek, a de¬ 
generate Roman, and Confederate officers who ought to 
have been cashiered. You are doubtless prepared to rec¬ 
ommend him to borrow the dusky hues of the African, 
that he may resemble a Hannibal or Othello.” 

Doctor Gog turned with contempt from the last speak¬ 
er, and in a mincing, mocking tone, continued, 

“It is all coffee, coffee, coffee ! He never enters a South¬ 
ern woman’s house but it is, ‘ Colonel Mosby, will you have 
a cup of coffee V I have seen him on horseback, in the 
streets of Leesburg, as he was returning from a successful 
expedition, surrounded by ladies. One miss, with flow¬ 
ing curls, held the coffee-pot, while another, it might be 
a summer younger, held the sugar-jar from which your 
master would from time to time be supplied. From that 
hour I lost all confidence in your guerrilla chief. If it 
had been a flask of cognac, or even a glass of your brave 
Loudoun whisky, I could have understood the thing.” 

Johnny Munson. “ I have no doubt, parson, if your 


132 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

places were changed, yon would set him adrift for being 
a coffee-drinker, and it is just possible that Mosby may 
some day exhibit toward you a similar illiberally.” 

Parson. “ I’d like to know, sirrah, who would suffer 
most by that? How do you think the command would 
do without me V 

Johnny Alexander. “ Do without you, doctor % Listen, 
and I will tell you what they would do without you.” 

Parson. “Well, Mr. Jackanapes, what V 

Johnny Alexander. “ Why, chaplain, they would go to 
h—11 their own way instead of yours.” 

This sally produced much applause, which for a moment 
disconcerted Dr. Gog, but he soon rallied. 

“You saucy, ill-mannered, ill - contrived, ill-thriven, 
withered, wizen-faced, half-fed monkey, what knowest thou 
about sacred things ? I tell thee, sirrah, thou art not fit 
to be the lackey of a monastery, or to carry water from a 
pump, or to bear a lighted taper, or ring a silver bell, or 
dust the altar, or unloose the latchet of mine own shoe, 
or, in fine, to do aught that appertains to holy things, 
much less unsought to pass thy censure on the high con¬ 
cerns and mysteries of the Church. I tell thee roundly I 
mean, at my convenience, to take thee in hand, and ad¬ 
minister a well-merited castigation. I do, thou untaught, 
thou unwashed, unchristened varlet, thou unlicked cub ! 
You ought to be at school, sir; and thy mammy, if per¬ 
chance thou hast one, ought to smack thee and send thee 
to bed. If I were she, or she but knew the duties of 
maternity, boy, the stars wouldn’t find thee abroad, unless 
those early sentinels which morning sets in the sky to 
tell upon the lazy plow-boy. With all the Christian 
charity that doth possess my soul, I can not abide these 
half-fledged, scratching, crowing, spurless roosters. Bad 
luck to you, you impudent starling! Lord, how I have 
prayed for them, the graceless banditti!” 


The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions . 133 

Here the good parson bowed liis head on the table, as 
if overwhelmed by ingratitude. The company appeared 
to be touched by this unexpected demonstration, and 
looked reproachfully at Johnny Alexander for his unkind, 
or at least thoughtless words—those envenomed shafts 
which are scattered so wide and driven so deep. But 
the youth was nothing daunted, and even smiled good- 
humoredly at the philippic of the offended churchman. 
He did not blink an eye, but was ready to let fly another 
arrow at his adversary as soon as he should detect a 
crevice or vulnerable point in his armor. The minute 
and watchful martin was he, perched on some withered 
twig, his bright', piercing eye turned oft askant, but ready 
to pounce upon the hawk or crow, his hereditary enemy, 
as soon as he should unfurl his wings and expand them 
on the ambient and buoyant air. “ 

“ Dr. Gog,” inquired a young gentleman, who, from the 
texture of his clothes and his fair hands, seemed to have 
just joined the command, u Dr. Gog, to what society ol 
Christians did you belong before the war V 

Parson. u I was a Black Bock Baptist, and had been a 

Southern Methodist.” 

The youth again inquired: “Were you in the ministry, 
reverend sir ?” 

Parson. “ My master, you are over inquisitive for a 
new-comer, but I have no objection to satisfying youi cuii- 
osity, as it may perchance be of service to you. It will 
teach you, at least, to begin where I ended. I commenced 
my religious life as an Episcopalian, but soon giew 
offended at their starch and gentility. I next tried the 
Presbyterians, and abode with them until they got to 
looking into my life, as they called it. I then got with 
the Methodists and Baptists. I tried the Campbellites, 
too, for a time, and lodged a few weeks with the Free 
Communion Baptists, passing from one to the otliei like 


134 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

a bad shilling. I liave now the honor to inform you, my 
master, that I am a preacher in the great Universalist 
Church, where I expect to remain for the rest of my 
natural life.” 

All. “ Good, good! That’s the very church for Dr. 
Gog.” 

Parson. “Yes; and, let me inform you, it is the very 
Church for every one of you; for what chance have any 
of you for heaven unless through the general amnesty 
which that Church has proclaimed to all sinners? Your 
master knew this when he besought me to take charge 
of your souls.” 

The game had been suspended during this conversa¬ 
tion, and Mr. Blackwell Magog, in company with several 
others, had left the room for some sinister purpose, as I 
was afterward led to suspect. Upon their return a re¬ 
newal of the game was proposed, and acceded to by all 
but the parson, who demurred because, as he said, the 
jade Fortune was against him that day; but he finally 
agreed to play if Munson would pay the fifty dollars he 
owed him. The proposition was promptly agreed to, and 
the debtor handed over a fifty dollar Confederate note. 

Parson. “ I lent you, sir, fifty dollars in Yankee money, 
and I’ll let you know that I understand how to collect 
the dues of the Church.” 

Munson. “ Why, parson, I only meant it for a proposi¬ 
tion. I will pay you, if you prefer, in greenbacks.” 

Parson. “ Your proposition was at least cool—yes, sir, 
devilish cool; but I leave others to determine its moral¬ 
ity. Under the cloak of the figures on that bill, you 
proposed to transfer just forty-nine dollars and fifty cents 
from my pocket to yours.” 

Munson. “ Forgive me, doctor, but I thought you so 
good a patriot as to seize with avidity any opportunity 
to display to the world how much more you value the 


The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions. 135 

Confederates tlian the Yankees. Besides, yon know, eveiy 
body says that, as soon as the war is over, Confederate 
money will be as good as gold.” 

Parson. “ Then keep it yourself, John Munson, for your 
patriotism stands fully as much in need of illustration as 
mine.” 

One of the Bangers here remarked, if the politicians 
would restore the credit of the finances they must take 
their ugly faces off the notes, for they are enough to 
destroy any fiscal system. 

“ Yes,” responded Mr. Blackwell Magog, “and put old 
Abe’s, I suppose, in their place.” 

Parson. “No,no,my beauty; when Congress sets about 
to reclaim the currency by the employment of such 
means, they’ll certainly photograph your full moon.” 

Mr. Blackwell Magog. “And-your.red head.” 

Munson, “ Excellent! what a combination, to have the 
strong points of two such paragons! Gog’s curls and 
Magog’s blushes! Wouldn’t that be to add a perfume 
to the violet! Ha! ha ! ha!” 

All. “ ITa! ha ! ha!” 

John Be Butts. “ Capital idea that. The notes would 
soon be at a premium, at least with the young ladies, for 
you know they dote on the parson.” 

James Keith. “ I don’t know how it is with the guer¬ 
rillas, but in the regular service we are opposed to blend¬ 
ing the perfections of two such different styles of beauty; 
indeed, I might with more propriety say, orders of archi¬ 
tecture. .A- Greek artist is said to have tried this, and 
the result was a picture so shockingly ugly as to drive 
him mad.” 

Johnny Alexander . “ That’s the most sensible thing 
I’ve heard to-day.” 

Parson (with a severe manner). “ Gentlemen, your re¬ 
marks are growing personal. I trust you will not forget 


136 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

that you are within the precincts of a chapel. Though I 
would not be boastful of the gifts of nature, nor value 
myself too highly on the vain article of beauty, but would, 
with all humility, acknowledge the perishable nature of 
such external advantages, yet do I entertain the opinion 
that Cousin Magog and myself are by all odds the hand¬ 
somest men in the room. Such, at least, would be the 
verdict of any jury of maidens in Fauquier. In Liliput, 
or among the Bushman race, such a shrimp and mannikin 
as Johnny Alexander might be received, but not here— 
no, not in Virginia. What think you, Mr. Blackwell 
Magog ?” 

Mr.Blackwell Magog. “I would think,cousin,the bet¬ 
ter of your proposition if you had left yourself out; but, 
for the life of me, I can not reconcile a red head with my 
ideas of beauty.” 

Parson. “ The devil you can’t! Pray, then, what do 
you think of your own bull-pup features ? Do you think 
the Apollo looked like that? You blunderer,you don’t 
understand that I put you along with myself only out of 
respect for your family. Auburn locks, let me assure you, 
in all ages, have been thought, among people of taste, far 
handsomer than the dirty sheepskin you wear on your 
head.” 

“ Hurrah!” shouted one of the company, “ the twins 
are pulling at each otherand Johnny Alexander jump¬ 
ed up into a chair, and flapped his wings, and crowed at 
Dr. Gog. The mirth and confusion having subsided, and 
Munson having discharged his debt in the desired cur¬ 
rency, the game recommenced with renewed ardor. Loo 
it still was. Silence reigned at the board, broken only 
by the muttered curses of unfortunate players. To the 
parson Fortune was again unpropitious, and he staked 
his last note. 

“ They have gutted my pocket-book,” said he, as he re- 



The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions. 137 

turned it to his breast pocket. “They have gutted my 
pocket-book, and I shall be compelled to draw again on 
Secretary Chase.” 

A Ranger . “ You have bad luck, doctor. Why don’t 
you try the widow ?” 

Parson. “ I have tried her already three hands in five, 
and the bitch has almost ruined me. But I begin to sus¬ 
pect that Fortune does not preside at this board, and that 
the cards do not have their own way.” The doctor’s last 
stake was up, and he had become somewhat nervous as 
he exclaimed with energy, “ I believe there has been foul 
play air this board all day; yes, a conspiracy to pluck me. 
I have not lost less than five hundred dollars in green¬ 
backs and gold.” 

The players all protested their innocence, and Mr. 
Blackwell Magog expressed his indignation at the inju¬ 
rious suspicion thus cast on a company of gentlemen. 

Parson. “Since you are so sensitive you can give me 
the cards, for a shuffle will soon disclose whether there 
has been any rascality here.” 

After some demurring on the part of his great relative, 
the cards were handed to the parson, who remarked as he 
took them, 

“ You have such a sleight of hand at cards that I be¬ 
lieve you have had something to do with a faro bank.” 

But events now hurried to a catastrophe. The chief’s 
arrangement of the cards now had been disconcerted, and 
soon the foul play was apparent. The parson threw on 
the board the evidence of fraud, and seized a scourge of 
knotted and twisted ropes which lay near, which he kept 
to preserve peace among his favorites. He sprang to his 
feet, overturning the table, the cards, the money, and the 
glasses, shouting at the same time, “ Thieves and money¬ 
changers in the temple of the Lord.” He seconded his 
words with. blows, and uproar and confusion reigned. 


138 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

The gamblers rushed to the door, for the desire to escape 
that dreadful lash was uppermost in every breast. In 
the mean time, Ajax was not idle, using his claws and 
teeth with terrible effect, and adding to the din by his 
fierce battle-cry, while the terriers annoyed and delayed 
the retreat. 

As soon as his guests had departed, the parson made 
haste to purse the money which lay scattered on the floor, 
and then threw himself in a chair, and began to whistle 
the “ Mocking-bird.” 

Soon I knocked at the door of the mansion, and was 
most graciously received. Supposing that I had been a 
witness of what had just occurred, my host remarked with 
a laugh, 

“ I reckon, Mr. Arthur, you never saw any thing like 
that in the old country. It will be several weeks before 
these fellows come again to cheat me at cards. Ha! ha! 
ha!” 

After spending an hour with the parson, during which 
time he furnished me with a substantial lunch, I rose to 
depart, waiting only until Juniper could bring my horse 
from the stable, where he had been carried to get a bait 
of corn. 

Parson. “ Well, Mr. Arthur, glad to see you always. 
Come and sj)end a week with me.” 

I assured him I would often visit him, but insisted as 
a condition that he should spend several days with me at 
my ranch on the Blue Ridge. 

Parson. “ To be sure I will. I hear you have quite a 
little town up there, but I hope the Yankees won’t find 
it. When I come, it will not be, remember, to get the 
blockade you were telling me of, though I have no objec¬ 
tion to that, but to talk about the Old Country, for I begin 
to think it was not such a clever thing after all to have 
torn us from the old mother. I think General Washing- 


The Partisan Chaplain at his Devotions. 139 

ton would have done better had he left the cubs with the 
dam a while longer. I am coming up to have a gossip 
about the old Revolution—that is, after I have looked 
through several volumes which I received the other day 
from a blockade runner in Fairfax.” 

The reverend gentleman, I must explain, is something 
of a bookworm, reading suiting his sluggish disposition. 
He has been known to lie about the house for weeks, 
silently absorbing volume after volume. In this way his 
acquirements are considerable, though very much diversi¬ 
fied. 

I bade adieu to my hospitable friend, and, as I did so, 
he took me cordially by the hand, and, walking toward 
my horse, said, 

“ I have taken a liking to you, Mr. Arthur, and I don’t 
care if you know it. When I meet an English gentle¬ 
man, I feel that I have found a man it will do to tie to.” 

We parted with many expressions of mutual esteem, 
and I turned my horse’s head homeward. 

All hail, Doctor Gog! 











140 


Partisan Life loith Mosby. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

BAIDING ABOUND ALEXANDBIA.—CAPTUBE OF COLONEL 

DULANEY. 

Upper Fauquier, October 25th, 1863. 

Deab Pebcy, —After a few weeks 7 absence, in conse¬ 
quence of tke wound received in the fight at Gooding’s 
tavern, Major Mosby returned to the command, and at 
once recommenced his harassing assaults upon Meade’s 
communications. He expressed himself as highly pleased 
with Lieutenant Turner’s activity during his absence, and 
said, in his official report to Stuart, that he had proved 
himself in every way fully equal to the trust. 

This interval I shall pass over, for I have devoted it to 
society rather than arms, as I was anxious to acquire a 
definite knowledge of the country, and an acquaintance 
with the people among whom Mosby’s idea of partisan 
warfare is to be developed. 

One incident, of rather an amusing nature, I will relate 
to you, which occurred on an expedition under Lieutenant 
William R. Smith to Warrenton Junction, in which he 
captured several wagons, a large amount of sutlers’ goods, 
eighteen horses, and ten mules. The goods were found 
stored in a house in front of which three wagons were 
standing. John Munson, with a fire-brand in his hand, 
approached one of them, and found two sutlers asleep on 
a buffalo robe, with a pack 'of cards and a candlestick at 
their heads. He waked them up, and said he wanted 
that robe. In reply, one of them bade him go to h—11; 
but Munson, anxious to find out where their horses were, 
said, “The guerrillas are coming; you had better hitch up.” 



141 


Hauling around Alexandria. 

The Yankee responded, “ Damn the guerrillas; I have 
been bothering myself to death, ever since the army be¬ 
gan to move, to keep out of their way, and now I don’t 
care much if they do catch me.” 

Munson then informed the sutler of his connection with 
Mosby, and he at once handed over the buffalo robe, and 
various other articles useful to a man in Munson’s line of 
business. 

But to return to Mosby. His first act was to organize 
Company B at Scuffleburg, a hamlet at the base of the 
Blue Bidge, not far from Markham. The recruits had 
been gathered in the country north of the Rappahannock 
River, and most of them had seen service with the Parti¬ 
sans. In accordance with the system which he had de¬ 
termined on in the very outset of his career, Mosby had 
selected the officers for this company, and recpiired the 
men by their votes to ratify his choice, and stamp it with 
the authority of law. He saw at a glance that the law 
of Congress, which ordained the election instead of the 
appointment of officers, would, if executed, prove even 
more destructive in his command than it had done in 
the regular service. He did not hesitate, therefore, to 
put it aside with that vigor and promptitude which be¬ 
long only to men qualified for command. 

William R. Smith, of Fauquier, a lieutenant of the 
famous Black Horse Company, had been selected by Mos¬ 
by as the captain of the new company. He is a man in 
the prime of life, is remarkable for his personal strength, 
is cool, bold, and possesses in a remarkable degree the 

qualities necessary to command.* 

♦ 

* It may interest some readers if a brief account of the Black 
Horse Company of Cavalry, in which Captain Smith was a lieuten¬ 
ant, is appended to this page. It was organized the spring before 
the repose of the country was broken by the irruption of John Brown, 
and in what is popularly known as the John Brown War it was re- 


142 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 



CAPTAIN SMITH. 


Frank Williams and Ab Wren, from Fairfax, and Rob¬ 
ert Gray, from Loudoun, completed tlie list of commis- 

marked for its activity and zeal. These gay cavaliers, even at that 
period, had adopted the disunion flag, and they greatly shocked, by 
their free utterance of disunion sentiments, the conservative opinion 
of Jefferson County. As soon as the war broke out the officers and 
men of the Black Horse—for they had nothing of the Carpet Knight 
about them — took the field, and faithfully did they perform their 
part. If the flag of Southern independence did not wave in triumph 
at the close as it did at the beginning of the war, it was not the 
fault of the Black Horse Company; for it was at the birth of the 
Army of Northern Virginia at Manassas, accompanied it in its bloody 
progress through the war, and was present in the hour of its 
dissolution at Appomattox Court-house. William H. Payne, its 
captain, rose to be brigadier general of cavalry, and was dis¬ 
tinguished, wherever he fought, for uncommon gallantry. Robert 
Randolph, the first lieutenant, became lieutenant colonel of the 
4th Regiment of Virginia Cavalry, and fell in battle, near Rich¬ 
mond, toward the close of the war. If the virtues of men live after 
them, those of Randolph will gather around his tomb and adorn it 




Raid around Alexandria. 


143 


sioned officers. Eacli of them had served with Mosby, 
and had won his promotion by the exhibition of superior 
merit. On the 21st of August we started, Mosby in com¬ 
mand, to attack Meade’s line of communication on the 
Orange and Alexandria Railroad. At a point between 
Warrenton Junction and Bealton we discovered an im¬ 
mense pontoon train moving in the direction of the Rap¬ 
pahannock River. Mosby thought this indicated the in¬ 
tention of the Federal general to cross the river, and im¬ 
mediately retired to the pines, and communicated the fact 
to General Lee in a dispatch, which he sent by Horace 
Johnson, of the Black Horse, who, in order to deliver it, 
had to pass through the hostile army. 

The railroad Mosby found too closely guarded for him 
to effect any thing at that point. In consequence, he pro¬ 
ceeded in the direction of Fairfax Court-house in search 
of farther information, and when he reached Buckland, a 
point on the turnpike between Warrenton and Bull Run, 
he sent back the command in charge of Captain Smith, 
reserving for himself a party of ten. When we reached 
the battle-field of Manassas we met thirty Yankee cav¬ 
alry, each with a led horse, for they were out on a horse¬ 
stealing expedition. We charged and routed them, tak¬ 
ing thirteen prisoners, who were immediately sent under 
guard to Fauquier. At night our party slept in a pine 
thicket, and we were aroused in the morning by the 
reveille from a Yankee camp only a few hundred yards 
distant, of the existence of which we had been perfectly 
unconscious. We were soon mounted, and, passing around 
the camp, struck out in the direction of Burke’s Station, 
with the design of capturing the trains engaged there in 

as a garland of fragrant flowers. A. D. Payne, who at the forma¬ 
tion of this famous company was a private in its ranks, "became 
during the progress of the war, its captain, and well sustained its 
dear-bought reputation for constancy and valor.— Editor. 


144 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

hauling* wood. But we found the work had been sus- 
pended, and the mules turned out to graze in a field near 
an infantry camp. The guard was captured and the ani¬ 
mals driven off in sight of the regiment, who, in their 
doubt and amazement at the boldness of the exploit, 
made no effort to recapture them. After making a cir¬ 
cuit of several miles through the pines, in order to baffle 
pursuit, the mules were trotted off under an escort to 
Fauquier. 

Mosby then, with four men, proceeded on his scout 
toward Alexandria, and rode to the heights in the vicin¬ 
ity, where he spent several hours watching with his 
glasses the movements both on the Virginia side and 
around Washington. Night putting a stop to his observa¬ 
tions, our scouting-party slept in the woods, and the next 
day returned to Fauquier. 

On the 27th of September, Mosby, with eight men, left 
Fauquier, his object being to capture Colonel Dulaney, 
aid to Governor Pierpont. We traveled toward Alex¬ 
andria by unfrequented roads, but following the direction 
of the Little River Turnpike. Flanking around Fairfax 
Court-house, we slept in the pines between that place 
and Alexandria. The next day was spent in collecting 
information and picking up stragglers, a half dozen of 
whom were sent off under guard late in the afternoon. 
This reduced our party to five. 

About sunset we started again for Alexandria, and 
soon after nightfall struck the Telegraph Road two miles 
from the town, Mosby inquiring as he proceeded for Col¬ 
onel Dulaney’s residence. He was informed that the 
colonel had passed but a few hours before on his way 
to Chestnut Hill. He had been to Fairfax Court-house 
during, the early part of the day, where he heard that 
Mosby had passed through the lines, and had hastened 
to communicate it to the authorities at Alexandria. 


Raid around Alexandria. 


145 


The road on which we were traveling was a thorough¬ 
fare leading to Alexandria, and we galloped rapidly 
along, the citizens whom we passed little suspecting that 
darkness alone concealed from their view the renowned 
partisan chief. It was not long before our guide point¬ 
ed out Chestnut Hill, where the object of our search was 
supposed to be. We approached the door, and knocked 
for admittance. An upper window was thrown open, 
and Mosby pleasantly inquired, “ Is Colonel Dulaney in?” 
Being told that he was, Mosby replied that he was just 
from Alexandria with dispatches from the governor, 
which he must deliver in person. Colonel Dulaney, not 
at all surprised at this nocturnal visit, soon appeared to 
receive the dispatches. As he opened the door, Mosby 
asked, in a polite tone, “ Is this Colonel Dulaney?” 

“Yes, sir,” was the reply. “Walk in, gentlemen, and 
be seated.” 

As he advanced, our leader added, “ My name is Mos- 

This startling announcement confused the staff-officer 
for a minute, but the situation was soon explained, and, 
after giving a simple promise not to attempt to escape, 
he was allowed the liberty of the house for the purpose 
of preparing for his trip to Richmond. After some delay 
on this account, we mounted, and, accompanied by the 
prisoner, were soon again on the road leading to Alex¬ 
andria. This we followed until we struck the railroad 
where it crosses Cameron’s Run. Here we collected 
combustible materials and burned the bridge, under the 
guns of two of the most formidable forts erected for the 
defense of the town. We then returned to Fauquier, 
from which point the prisoner was sent to Richmond. 

As soon as Mosby discovered that Meade was making 
a retrograde movement to lairfax Court-house, he stait- 
ed from Middleburg with fifty men for the purpose of at- 

K 


146 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

tacking the trains of the retreating army. Below Mount 
Zion he fell in with the battalion of cavalry commanded by 
the gallant and distinguished Colonel Elisha V. White. 
After a brief consultation between the two officers, Mosby 
determined to leave this field of operations to White, and 
strike the enemy farther down their line of march. 

With this intention he made a detour, and about sun¬ 
set secreted his command near Frying-pan Church. Leav¬ 
ing Captain Smith in command, Mosby, with a small 
party, proceeded to Chantilly, where they concealed them¬ 
selves until a wagon-train which they heard approaching 
had rolled by. Discovering that the train had no escort, 
Mosby, with his seven men, in the most natural way, fell 
in behind the wagons, and, as train-guard, passed through 
the Yankee camps, which, with their blazing fires, were 
strung along on either side of the turnpike. Martial fig¬ 
ures, collected in groups around the fires, with their 
rugged and often savage countenances, presented a pic¬ 
turesque appearance. They were infantry, and their 
stacked muskets reflected the light from their polished 
bores. The night was dark and cloudy, and when the 
train, with its strange escort, passed the line of camp-fires, 
all was again wrapped in darkness. 

At a signal from our leader, we rushed upon the wag¬ 
ons, and easily effected their capture. In the mean time, 
several officers and mounted men, as they passed to and 
fro, were made prisoners and disarmed; among them Cap¬ 
tain Barton, the adjutant of an infantry regiment. 

This was a rich harvest-field; 'but, our presence being 
discovered, we were compelled to retreat, carrying off with 
us thirty-six mules, seven horses, and thirteen Yankees. 

The prisoners were sent to Fauquier in charge of Wal¬ 
ter Frankland and five men, and Mosby returned to the 
command, which he had left with Captain Smith. Tak¬ 
ing with him another detail of seven men, he returned to 


Raid around Alexandria . 


147 


the Federal camp, but entered it at a different point. He 
was, however, soon discovered, and sentinels were posted 
around to prevent his escape. But this proved no obsta¬ 
cle to Mosby, for he captured the sentinels, and carried 
them off to Frying-pan. 

The next day Lieutenant Turner, with Company “ A,” 
was ordered back to Fauquier, while, with twenty-five 
men of Company “B,” commanded by Captain Smith, 
Mosby proceeded a mile below Fairfax Court-house in 
quest of information. It was obtained from a citizen, 
who furthermore informed him that his presence on their 
flank having been discovered by the Federal command¬ 
ers, several parties had been dispatched in pursuit of him. 
One of these had been sent on the very road on which 
Mosby had been traveling, but,fortunately, had passed up 
before he struck it. Proceeding to the junction of the 
Ox Road and Little River Turnpike, the command was 
halted by a mounted picket. Making use of the inform¬ 
ation which he had obtained from the citizen, Mosby re¬ 
plied, 

“ We are friends, and the same party that just left you.” 

“ Is that you, Sergeant Plough ?” said the sentinel. 

“ Yes,” replied Mosby. 

The picket of thirteen men was then easily captured, 
and conducted for the distance of half a mile into the 
pines. Here we halted, and gathered around our leader 
to listen to a cross-examination of the prisoners. It was 
conducted in the most approved legal style; for, if the 
Federals hesitated to expose the situation of their friends, 
Mosby, adroitly changing the point of attack, would wring 
from them the desired information before they perceived 
the object at which he was aiming. The picket proved 
to be a portion of General Meade’s body-guard, which had 
been stationed at the junction of the two roads to for¬ 
ward reports from the different parties who were search- 


148 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

* 

ing for Mosby. The officer in command having made his 
escaj)e while we were marching through the pines, Mos- 
by considered the present position unsafe. The prison¬ 
ers were in consequence sent off, and the scene of opera¬ 
tions removed to the vicinity of Anandale. 

Concealing fourteen men a quarter of a mile from the 
road, with six others Mosby took a position on the turn¬ 
pike in order to capture travelers to and from the army. 
Very soon six men, with their horses and equipments, 
were in the hands of the Partisans. A captain, with elev¬ 
en men, next approached. They were attacked and 
routed, six of the men,wuth their officer, being taken pris¬ 
oners. But this party proved to be the vanguard of 
six hundred cavalry who soon came in sight, and, expect¬ 
ing to be attacked, formed in line of battle. Taking ad¬ 
vantage of this interval, Mosby ordered Cajffain Smith to 
withdraw the command and prisoners as rapidly as j)os- 
sible by means of a route not discernible by the enemy. 
With his three men he held his position on the road, the 
enemy still supposing that he represented an attacking 
force, until Smith had had time to make good his retreat. 
Mosby then dashed off in an opposite direction to the one 
taken by the command, and, when closely pressed by a 
pursuing party, made his escape, together with his three 
comrades, by leaping over a deep gully, over wdiich the 
Yankees were unwilling to follow him. 

Captain Smith reached Fauquier in safety, but Mos¬ 
by, for a day and night, still hovered about the Federal 
camps, and experienced extreme difficulty in escaping the 
patrols and pickets which were thrown out in every di¬ 
rection for the purpose of effecting his capture. 

About this time Mosby instructed Ab Wren to select 
a party, and proceed to the vicinity of Fairfax Court¬ 
house, and capture a picket that was stationed about one 
mile from that place in the direction of Middleburg. On 


Haul around Alexandria. 


149 


account of the frequent captures which had already been 
made, the cavalry picket was withdrawn at night and re¬ 
placed by infantry, but at reveille would again be sent 
to that point. The result was, that the capture had to 
be effected by daylight and in sight of the numerous 
camps, some of which were almost in gunshot of the out¬ 
post. During the night Wren and his party passed to 
the rear of the infantry camps, and took up his position 
in a hollow, where, as long as night lasted, he was secure 
from discovery. Here the party lay benumbed with cold 
till daylight, when Charles Grogan, who had been sent 
out to reconnoitre, crawled back from the crest of the 
hill, and reported twelve cavalry-men proceeding toward 
the picket-post to relieve the infantry according to cus¬ 
tom. The Rangers quietly mounted their horses and 
dropped in behind the Federals, whom they overtook as 
they were in the act of dismounting. The Yankees very 
quietly surrendered, and were trotted off to Fauquier in 
full view of their astonished countrymen. 

















150 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 



CHAPTER XX. 

U THE BILLY SMITH BALD.” 

Upper Fauquier, December 28th, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —As soon as Meade’s advance made the 
Rappahannock River again the picket-line of the two ar¬ 
mies, Mosby directed his efforts against the rear of Gen¬ 
eral Sedgwick’s Corps, which was encamped about War- 
renton, and was drawing its supplies by wagon-trains 
from Gainesville. With seventy-five men secreted in a 
wood at Chestnut Fork, a crossing of the Warrenton and 
Gainesville Turnpike, he awaited the approach of one of 
these supply-trains. 

The guard, composed of cavalry and infantry, were 
marching, he discovered, only in front and rear, instead 
of being distributed among the wagons. Mosby then 
ranged his command along the turnpike, and ordered 
Captain William H. Chapman, after the guard in front 
had passed, to take ten men and attack the train near the 
centre, while he held the rest in reserve to support him 
if necessary. But Chapman stopped the wagons without 
resistance, for the guard both in front and rear were en¬ 
tirely unconscious of what was being done. 

An additional detail was then sent forward, and one 
hundred and thirty mules, thirty-three horses, one quar¬ 
termaster, and twenty other prisoners were secured. 
Having now as large a booty and as many prisoners as he 
could conveniently manage, Mosby retired in the direc¬ 
tion of the Blue Ridge, and the next day sent his cap¬ 
tures across the head waters of the Rappahannock; thus, 



“ The Billy Smith Raid" 


151 


without the loss of a man, supplying the Confederate 
army with teams for forty wagons. 

In consequence of the attack at Chestnut Fork, the 
wagon-trains were ordered to follow the line of the Or¬ 
ange and Alexandria Railroad and the Warrenton stem 
—a change which removed them several miles farther 
from Mosby, besides placing them under more efficient 
military protection. In consequence of this arrangement, 
a large number of wagons were often parked near War¬ 
renton, and upon one of these camps Mosby decided to 
make a descent. It appeared to be impenetrable, for it 
was heavily guarded by infantry, with a line of sentinels 
posted around it. But Mosby, ever fertile in resources, 
resorted to the following ingenious expedient to defeat 
these precautions. A portion of the command was dis¬ 
mounted, and John De Butts, of Loudoun, and Harn, from 
Louisiana, were sent forward, disguised as negro drivers, 
to capture the sentries on that portion of the line through 
which he proposed to enter the camp. The stratagem 
succeeded, and the dismounted men were thus introduced 
among the wagons and teams. Two hundred mules 
were driven out, and the men mounted in order to con¬ 
duct them to a place of safety. They had heard that 
mules would with great eagerness follow a white horse 
at night; so several men thus mounted were placed in 
advance, and the drove was started. Every thing work¬ 
ed well until the animals reached their usual drinking- 
place, about a mile distant. Beyond this point they 
would not go, and when urged, broke from their drivers 
and galloped back. 

Unwilling to relinquish so valuable a prize, Mosby, 
with a party, again entered the wagon-camp, but the 
mules were now intractable, and rushed wildly about. 
As the Rangers were preparing to lead them out by the 
halter, the guard was aroused and the intruders expel- 



152 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

led, taking witk them only thirteen mules and two pris¬ 
oners. 

And now let me call your attention to a new feature 
of Mosby’s system of warfare, in the development of 
which you appear to be interested. He has begun to 
send out parties under command of his officers, and in 
this way will be enabled greatly to increase his aggressive 
power. On two occasions Captain William H. Chapman, 
in conjunction with Captain Smith, has captured pickets 
on the edge of Warrenton, not more than a few hundred 
yards distant from where the garrison was quartered. 
These successes led to the conception of a bold design for 
the capture of the garrison itself. It was this: Chapman, 
at night, was to introduce himself into the town, there to 
remain concealed the next day in the house of one of the 
elect, in order to ascertain the enemy’s strength and posi¬ 
tion. If the plan was found feasible, he was to communi¬ 
cate the ensuing night by preconcerted signals w T ith Cap¬ 
tain Smith, who from the outside was to make the attack. 
Chairman’s attempt to enter the town was, however, de¬ 
feated, for as he was creeping over a fence in the rear of 
a dwelling-house, he was discovered and fired upon by a 
sentinel not many paces from him. With his revolver he 
returned the shot, inflicting a wound, and then made 
haste to rejoin Smith, who was awaiting the result of the 
adventure at the foot of the hill. 

The day following the events just related, Captain 
Smith, with forty-five men of his company, gained the 
rear of one of Gregg’s cavalry camps, which were estab¬ 
lished along the road between Warrenton and the War : 
renton Springs. The camp selected for attack lay in a 
deep gorge of Lee’s Ridge, about one mile from the town, 
and was occhpied by four companies of the 12th Penn¬ 
sylvania Cavalry. The surprise was complete, and amid 
the confusion and uproar produced by it the Rangers 


“ The Billy Smith Bald.” 


153 


carried off thirty-nine horses and twenty-five prisoners, 
besides leaving twelve of the enemy too severely wound¬ 
ed to be moved. The Yankees rallied as their assailants 
were about to leave, and opened upon them a rapid fire, 
which, however, inflicted no injury. 

As he was about to withdraw from the camp, Captain 
Smith halted a soldier just as he was passing a blazing 
fire. The man replied, u I am one of your own men,” but 
at the same time seized a carbine and leveled it at Smith, 
who, being on the alert, shot him with his revolver. The 
wounded man fell across the blazing fire, rolled in agony 
for a few moments, and then expired. The Partisans 
reached Salem by daybreak, and divided the booty. This 
nocturnal expedition is known in the command as “The 
Billy Smith Raid.” 

Our next expedition was for the purpose of capturing 
one of the supply-trains which our leader had been in¬ 
formed by Captain Stringfellow, one of General Stuart’s 
scouts, were passing from time to time from Bealton Sta¬ 
tion to Warrenton. Stringfellow at the same time offered 
to be our guide. We left Rectortown with about sixty 
men, and at night halted for a few hours at Mr. James 
K. Skinker’s, where a refreshing repast was furnished to 
the command, and a party of us most agreeably enter¬ 
tained with music by the ladies. While thus engaged, 
the order to mount was given, and about daylight we 
reached the point at which the attack was to be made. 
The usual precaution of placing the men out of sight in 
the woods was adopted, and we remained there for sev¬ 
eral hours, waiting for the train to pass. But fortunately 
a courier, carrying the mail to the garrison at Warrenton, 
soon fell into our hands, and we amused ourselves during 
the tedious interval by examining its contents. When 
the approach of the train, guarded by about fifty cavalry, 
was reported, Mosby divided his command. One detach- 


154 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 



ment lie intrusted to Captain Smith, the other he reserved 
for himself, his plan being for the two parties to fall 
simultaneously ujion the front and rear of the escort. 
The plan was successfully executed, and we brought off 
about forty prisoners, as many mules, and a large quantity 
of medical stores. The work accomplished, we prepared 
to retreat, for the proximity of the garrison at Warrenton, 

and an encampment 
of infantry at Bealton, 
made it very certain 
that we would be pur¬ 
sued. About sunset we 
arrived at Mr. Skink- 
er’s, where Mosby de-- 
tailed private A. E. 
Richards, of Company 
| B, to accompany Cap¬ 
tain Stringfellow on a 
scout the next day to 
the Rappahannock Riv¬ 
er. The column moved 
I on to Salem, where, the 
following morning, the 
property was divided, 
and the prisoners were 
sent to Richmond. 

A few days previous 
to this raid, Baron von 
Mas sow, a Prussian 
lieutenant, had joined 
our command, bring¬ 
ing with him letters of 
introduction to Mai or 

BAKON VON MASSOW. *> 

Mosby from General 
Stuart, and also from his fellow-countryman, Major He- 














“ The Billy Smith Raid.” 155 

ros von Borck, with whom he had served in the Prus¬ 
sian army, and who was now a member of the general’s 
staff. He is about twenty-live years of age, and very 
striking in his appearance. His forehead is ample, 
his eye black and piercing, and he wears a very heavy 
mustache. Dressed in his rich army overcoat of dark 
cloth, with a slouched hat, from which floated two large 
black plumes, he presented a truly martial appearance, 
as, mounted on a fine charger, he dashed among the fore¬ 
most upon the cavalry escort. He is an accomplished 
swordsman, and with his flashing blade pressed forward 
in the pursuit of the flying Federals' for about a mile. 
When he returned from the chase, he quietly remarked, 
“ This beats the fox-hunt of England.” 

But it is time to return to the two scouts whom we 
left to pass the night at Mr. Skinker’s. 'The day had 
been cold and rainy, and, after being furnished with sup¬ 
per, they joined the family circle around the fire, where 
they found Ludwell Napp, a member also of Mosby’s 
command. As they were discussing the events of the 
day and the probabilities of a pursuit, a servant-girl has¬ 
tily entered the room and announced the arrival of a 
number of soldiers, who had inquired if Mosby or any of 
his men were in the house. Supposing them to belong 
to the command which had so recently left there, and to 
be in search of their comrades, she had admitted the fact, 
and only became aware of her mistake when she saw 
them making preparations to surround the house. 

The lights were at once extinguished, and the Confeder¬ 
ates were hurried to the garret, where they hid under 
the loose flooring, and were covered over with rubbish by 
the faithful servant, who w T as most anxious to atone for 
her mistake. But Richards was less fortunate than his 
companions, for, in attempting to ascend the staircase, he 
fell, and, finding himself thus left behind, he determined 


156 


Partisan Life with Mosby, 

to attempt to escape from the house, trusting for success 
to the darkness and his revolver. With a pistol in each 
hand he leaped into the yard, and, after encountering and 
putting to flight two Yankees, succeeded in getting off. 

The Federals threw open the hall door and fired several 
shots within. Then, having procured a light, the search 
was begun, the officer in command ordering his men to 
give no quarter to any soldier found concealed in the 
house. 

But, just as they were about to enter the attic, the 
servant-girl stepped forward and offered the Yankees to 
lead them to the garden, whither she said the Bangers had 
escaped. With well-feigned surprise she searched among 
the bushes and shrubbery, and at last accounted for her 
failure by suggesting that they must have escaped when 
the attention of the searchers had been drawn off by 
Bichards. The Yankees, who always on such occasions 
place implicit confidence in information furnished by the 
contrabands, were imposed on by the story, and contented 
themselves by arresting Mr. Skinker and his little son, 
whom they have since committed to prison. They then 
took the road to the Plains, searching citizens’ houses all 
along the route, and from thence to Salem. Here they 
again fell in with Bichards, who in the mean time had 
been mounted by a friend, and started in jDursuit of 
him. But he led them through the open fields around 
the' town, occasionally returning their shots, and finally 
eluded them, having received no other injury than a slight 
flesh-wound in the arm. During this pursuit a party of 
the enemy had charged through Salem, and captured 
Sergeant Warfield and two other Bangers. 

From Salem the Yankees returned with their prisoners 
to W arrenton. 

On the 28th of November Mosby started on a raid to 
Fairfax, but was met at Middleburg by Cajffain Smith, 


a The Billy Smith Betid.” 


157 


who had just returned from a scout, and reported that 
the Yankees who had been camped at the Warrenton 
Springs had crossed the river, and that Meade’s whole 
army was in motion. The Partisan chief at once aban¬ 
doned the raid to Fairfax, and directed his attention to 
the army in Culpepper. Having sent out couriers to no- 
tifv the men to assemble at Bectortown, he ordered Lieu- 
tenant Turner to take command, and join him the next 
day at the Springs. 

Arrived at that point, the command, numbering one 
hundred and twenty men, was transferred to Captain 
Smith, with instructions to march to Coon’s Mill, and 
there to await farther orders. Mosby then, with Mount- 
joy, Walter Whaley, and Guy Broadwaters, crossed the 
river, and proceeded to the house of a friend, where, about 
sundown, he saw a large train of wagons loading at Brandy 
Station, which confirmed the opinion which he had formed 
that Meade had made that place a depot of army supplies, 
and upon which he had acted when he planned his ex¬ 
pedition. 

Mounted upon his fine gray horse, Mosby, with his 
companions, rode unsuspected for a mile through the 
Federal camp, talking with the men, and getting from 
them much valuable information. But, as the party were 
about to leave, a sentinel challenged them, and although 
at first he seemed satisfied with the reply “We are a 
patrol,” afterward fired, but too late to inflict any injury. 
Having rejoined the command at Coon’s Mill, Mosby, with 
Captains Smith, Chapman, and a few others, again crossed 
the river to reconnoitre the enemy’s position. The result 
of this second visit was a determination to attack Meade s 
wagon-camp that night, for the whole army-train was col¬ 
lected at Brandy Station, with only infantry stationed 
around as a guard. Having dispatched a courier to 
Lieutenant Turner, now in command at Coon s Mill, to 


158 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

move forward as rapidly as possible, Mosby laid down 
within a hundred yards of the Federal camp, and slept 
soundly until aroused by Chapman with the information 
that the command had come up. He at once made the 
following dispositions for attack: Mountjoy, with twenty- 
five men, was ordered to fire the wagons, Smith and Chap¬ 
man, each in command of a party, were directed to drive 
off the mules, while Lieutenant Turner was told to hold 
the rest of the men in reserve in case of an attack by 
cavalry. The plan worked well, and one hundred and 
seventy-five mules, in addition to a lot of cattle, were 
brought across the river. 

The crackling flames and the braying of the frightened 
mules roused the sleeping guard, whose arms were stacked, 
but not loaded, and before they could prepare for resist¬ 
ance the Partisans had made good their retreat. A body 
of Yankee cavalry pursued as far as Welford’s Ford on 
Hazel River, but to no purpose. 

As Captain Chapman was about to leave the camp, he 
saw four fine mules hitched to one of the burning wagons, 
which he determined to bring off. While he was thus 
engaged, the negro driver rolled out of the wagon, exclaim¬ 
ing, “ Who, in de name of God, set dese wagons on fire!” 
Chapman ordered him at once to unhitch his team, which 
he promptly did, thinking the Ranger some good-natured 
person who had volunteered to help him in his difficulty, 
nor did he discover his mistake until he was trotting 
away merrily for “ Mosby’s Confederacy.” 

Having returned to Fauquier, our indefatigable leader 
collected a fresh band, and proceeded again on an expedi¬ 
tion, known in the command as the Second Culpepper 
Raid. This time he only succeeded in bringing off eleven 
prisoners, but learned from two of them, who belonged to 
the brigade whose wagons had been captured at Brandy 
Station, that Meade had sent his supply-train to the fork 


“The Billy Smith Betid.” 


159 


between the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers, and had 
detailed a brigade of cavalry from the front to protect it. 
The men furthermore stated that their brigade, in conse- 

o 7 

quence of Mosby’s recent capture, was on short rations, as 
the country around was too impoverished to afford any 
supply for man or beast. 

On the 7th of December, Company C, which had been 
recruited for the Partisan service, assembled at Rector- 
town for the purpose of electing their officers, or rather, 
as we have seen, of confirming Mosby’s appointments, 
which were as follows: William H. Chapman, captain; 
A. E. Richards, first lieutenant; Frank Fox, from Fairfax, 
second lieutenant; Yager, from Page, junior second lieu¬ 
tenant. 

Captain William H. Chapman was twenty-one years of 
age the very day that the Ordinance of Secession was 
passed at Richmond. He was at that time a student at 
the University of Virginia, and belonged to a company 
of students which was ordered to Harper’s Ferry for active 
duty, but was soon disbanded by Governor Letcher for 
the sufficient reason that those who belonged to it might 
return to their homes, and there recruit, drill, and officer 
troops for the Southern army. Chapman was elected 
lieutenant in the Dixie Battery, which went from Page, 
his native county, and was afterward promoted to the 
captaincy, a position which he filled with great credit 
until the consolidation of batteries in January, 1863, by 
which act so many meritorious officers lost their com¬ 
mands. Still holding his artillery commission, he was as¬ 
signed to duty as enrolling officer for Fauquier County, 
but his official duties were often interrupted by the in¬ 
cursions of the enemy. This, however, afforded him an 
opportunity for mingling in more congenial scenes, and he 
often volunteered to go with Mosby on his raids. By his 
intelligence and courage he has so won our leader’s con- 


160 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

fidence as to be frequently sent by him in command of 
expeditions, an account of several of wliicli I have already 
given you. 

Lieutenant A. E. Richards, from Loudoun County, first 
served in the Valley under General Turner Ashby, and was 
afterward on the staff of his successor, General William 
E. Jones; but, having a taste for the Partisan life, he re¬ 
signed his commission, and enlisted as a private in Com¬ 
pany B. In that capacity he served for six weeks, during 
which time I have on several occasions introduced him to 
your notice. The captain elect, who still held his artillery 
commission, proceeded at once to Richmond to obtain a 
transfer to the Partisan Ranger service, and as Lieutenant 
Richards had not yet recovered from the wound which 
he received in escaping from Mr. Skinker’s, the command 
of Company C at once devolved upon Lieutenant Fox. 

About this time Mosby experienced a slight reverse, 
which shows some ingenuity on the part of the Federals 
in guarding against his nocturnal assaults. Attempting 
to charge a picket of forty men between Luinsville and 
the Chain Bridge, they were found to have stretched a 
telegraph-wire across the road high enough to pass a 
horse, but not its rider. By this device some half dozen 
of the assailants were unhorsed, and, amid the confusion 
and delay thus created, the picket effected their escape. 


An exciting Chase after Mosby. 


161 


CHAPTER XXL 

AN EXCITING CHASE AFTER MOSBY.-HEROISM OF MISS 

ROBERTA P-. 

Upper Fauquier, January 8th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —Mosby lias recently liad an exciting ad¬ 
venture and a narrow escape from tlie Yankees, while, 
with Lieutenant Turner and Dr. Alexander, he was at the 
house of Major Richard H. Carter, who was at home on 
furlough. 

Soon after dawn, a neighbor sent Major Carter intelli¬ 
gence that a detachment of Federal cavalry was march¬ 
ing from Rectortown toward his house. Very soon the 
soldiers were mounted, and started to make a reconnois- 
sance. At a short distance from the house, they drew up 
their horses in a lane, with high stone fences on either 
side, and beheld, within a few hundred yards of the outer 
gate, the head of the column coming down the road. 

The morning was foggy, and just at that moment the 
sun arose, and, partially dispelling the fog, fully revealed 
the Yankees to the colonel and his party, while it was 
doubtful whether they in turn had been seen. 

The question immediately arose as to the best mode of 
retreat. If they retired by the way of Major Carter’s 
house, it would certainly draw the enemy in that direc¬ 
tion, and expose a family of ladies and children to insult, 
and his house to plunder, and probably destruction. 

After a hasty consultation, it was determined, in order 
to avoid, if possible, that risk, to dash across a field to the 
right, which, however, would bring the fugitives nearer, 
and expose them more to the view of the enemy. They 

L 



162 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

hoped, however, to shield themselves from view by means 
of a hill and skirt of woods until they had gained a suffi¬ 
cient distance to preclude danger of successful pursuit. 

But in this they were disappointed. They had scarce¬ 
ly entered the field when they discovered that they had 
not only been seen, but were pursued by a large detach¬ 
ment, who had broken through the fences, and were with¬ 
in one hundred and fifty yards of them. It was now 
clear that the only chance for escape was in the fleetness 
of their horses. The race then began in earnest. As 
soon as the Yankees reached the summit of a hill they 
opened fire with their carbines, and in this way continued 
the race for about two miles, when the colonel and his 
party, leaping a stone fence, entered a wood, and, dashing 
down a ravine, they were for a short time hid from their 
pursuers, and were thus enabled to increase the distance 
between them. When they emerged from the woods, 
they discovered that the Yankees had halted at the fence, 
from behind which they continued to fire until the Con¬ 
federates were out of range. 

When the pursuit began the main body of the enemy 
occupied a small piece of woods immediately in front of 
Major Carter’s residence. The family, aroused by the fir¬ 
ing, rushed into the yard, and witnessed, with painful anx¬ 
iety, the race in which death or capture seemed inevitable 
to the objects of their deep solicitude. One incident con¬ 
nected with this escape is deserving of especial notice, as 
it illustrates in a striking manner the cool courage and 
almost unparalleled presence of mind of Lieutenant Tom 
Turner, of Maryland. Dr. Alexander did not leave the 
house with the rest of the party, and was not aware of 
the near approach of the enemy until he saw Colonel 
Mosby and his companions dashing across the field. He 
started to join them, and at one time was not more than 
fifty yards from the Yankees; in fact, they were a little 


163 


An exciting Chase after Mosby . 

ahead of him; hut, fortunately, he was under the hill, and 
was not at once discovered. He had nearly accomplished 
his purpose, when, in attempting to pass through the gate 
leading into the second field, the doctor’s horse ran against 
the post and threw him on the ground, leaving his foot 
fastened in the stirrup, while his pursuers, about twen¬ 
ty in number, were not more than sixty yards behind. 
Colonel Mosby and Major Carter had passed through the 
gate, but Lieutenant Turner, discovering the accident 
which had befallen his friend, determined not to leave 
him in such a condition. Without hesitation, he wheeled 
his horse, and when Colonel Mosby and Major Carter 
looked around, they saw him standing erect in his stirrups, 
and, waving his cap about his head, they heard him urge 
his pursuers to come on. The Yankees, evidently sus¬ 
pecting a ruse, immediately halted, and, wonderful to say, 
for the moment ceased firing. Taking advantage of the 
pause, Turner jumped from his horse and assisted the doc¬ 
tor to remount. Before the pursuers had recovered from 
their surprise they had rejoined their companions. 

It is due to the doctor to state that, while running the 
severe gauntlet, he did not forget to return the enemy’s 
salute. Finding that his carbine was likely to be in his 
way in the race, he determined to drop it, but first turn¬ 
ed in his saddle and discharged its contents in the face 
of his pursuers. 

A few days after, Miss Roberta P-, from the neigh¬ 

borhood of Warrenton, displayed, in an enterprise which 
she voluntarily undertook, courage not inferior to that 
of Lieutenant Turner. I record it not only as an instance 
of female heroism, but because it vividly displays the ro¬ 
mantic devotion of the ladies of the Upper Piedmont to 
the Southern cause. 

A cold December morning this young lady walked to 
Warrenton, in and around which was stationed a consid- 



104 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

erable detachment of Feder¬ 
al troops. Upon her arrival 
she was informed by Miss 

L-that she had seen a 

negro, evidently a new-com¬ 
er, pass toward the office of 
the provost-marshal, accom¬ 
panied by several officers. 
They concluded at once that 
he must be the bearer of in¬ 
telligence, and Miss Roberta 
determined to get posses¬ 
sion of it. In execution of this purpose, she went to the 
house occupied by the provost-marshal, and, by means of 
a bribe, induced the sentinel on duty to allow her to en¬ 
ter the basement, under the pretext of wishing to transact 
business with the woman who occupied it; but instead, 
as soon as she entered the building, turned into a dark 
and uninhabited room immediately under the provost’s 
office, and there heard the negro volunteer to conduct a 
party of cavalry to a house in which Mosby and many of 
his men could be captured, and where, in addition, a large 
quantity of corn could be seized. About the grain, the 
officers said, they cared nothing, but that Mosby would be 
indeed a prize. With this thought they waxed warm, 
and, speaking in loud and confident terms, informed the 
fair listener that an expedition, with the negro for a guide, 
would start that night, if certain expected re-enforcements 
arrived ; if not, certainly the next night. 

Her resolution was at once taken to communicate this 
conspiracy to the Partisan chief or some of his men, and, 
having control of no agency, she was compelled to bear 
the tidings herself. It was late in the afternoon when, 
unaccompanied, she mounted her horse. The weath¬ 
er, as night approached, had become intensely cold. 





165 


An exciting Chase after Mosby. 

the wind had risen, and the face of the sky was covered 
with masses of black cloud which cast their gloom over 
the landscape. She stopped at the house of a neighbor 
and friend, whose little son, Walter, agreed to accompany 
her on her perilous enterprise; for, in order to reach the 
Salem Road, she would be compelled to pass through the 
Watery Mountain, on the summit of which was stationed 
a body of Federal troops. In making this hazardous at¬ 
tempt darkness overtook her, and, ignorant of the route, 
she was soon compelled to grope her way through the 
forest. Thus bewildered, the benighted lady came sud¬ 
denly upon a large fire, at which she paused to enjoy its 
genial warmth, not remembering that the light might re¬ 
veal her to those whom she wished most to avoid. Soon 
she again set forth to attempt to thread the labyrinth in 
which she was involved; but the farther the wander¬ 
er proceeded the deeper in its intricate mazes did she 
plunge. 

“ A thousand fantasies began to throng into her memory 
Of calling shapes and beck’ning shadows dire, 

And airy tongues, that syllable men’s names 
On sands, and shores, and desert wildernesses.” 

Weakness would have sunk by the wayside, but the 
braced nerves and daring spirit of this heroic girl carried 
her forward amid all dangers and through all obstacles. 
Her faith was in her high purpose, and she trusted to 
unseen guardians to direct her steps. Suddenly the 
moon shone forth, and revealed to Walter a party of 
Federal soldiers, and as suddenly again passed under a 
cloud. Sheltered by the friendly darkness, she pursued 
her way, until she was ordered to halt by a horseman 
immediately in her front. With rare presence of mind, 
she determined to work upon the dread of surprisal with 
which Mosby had inspired the Federal pickets, and in a 
voice hoarse from exposure she ordered him to surrender. 


166 


Pastisan Life with Mosby. 

In reply, site heard the sound of retreating hoofs. Her 
spirits rose with this adventure, and believing this to be 
the last picket she would encounter, she pressed rapidly 
forward. On reaching a higher point on the mountain, 
she beheld with dismay the lights from the town of War- 
renton, and discovered that, instead of progressing on her 
journey, she was returning to the point from which she 
had started. But the lights from the town, while they 
discovered to the lady her mistake, yet furnished her with 
the means of rectifying it, and from this new point of 
departure she struck out again in the direction of Salem. 
But her adventures were not yet over, for she had not 
proceeded very far when she saw before her a horse, and 
standing beside it his rider. He approached, and, laying 
his hand on her bridle, said, 

“ Stop, lady; you can go no farther. To what place 
are you bound T 

In a tone of innocence and candor, which so well be¬ 
came her youth and beauty, she replied that she had 
started to visit a sick friend in Salem, but night coming 
on she had lost her road. The soldier then told her it 
was his painful duty to conduct her to the reserve, where 
she would be detained till morning. 

“ I will not go,” she replied. “ You may shoot me, but 
I will not go. I am not willing for you to perform your 
duty.” 

“Nor will I perform it,” generously replied the soldier. 
“No one could be so cruel as to detain you or turn you 
back on such a night as this.” 

He then pointed to the light from a neighboring farm¬ 
house, and bade her go there, while at the same time he 
led her horse by a circuitous route, to prevent her run¬ 
ning into the reserve. The soldier then turned and said, 

“ Good-by. I have yet three hours on picket to think 
of a freezing lady.” 


167 


The Chaplain's Visit to Baltimore. 

That sentinel was not made of common earth! 

The wanderer soon reached the friendly shelter, and 
communicated to the lady of the house the object of her 
midnight adventure, who the next morning accompanied 
her to a rendezvous of Mosby’s men in the mountain. 

The day after this nocturnal adventure a Federal sol¬ 
dier came to the residence of the farmer, and gave an 
animated account of the alarm which they had had the 
night before on the mountain in consequence of a threat¬ 
ened attack from the guerrillas. “They had sent,” he 
said, “one of their number in advance to capture the 
vedette, but he was sharp enough to escape the trap.” 


CHAPTER XXII. 

THE CHAPLAIN’S VISIT TO BALTIMORE. 

r 

Upper Fauquier, January 12th, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— I am again alone at my abode on the 
Blue Ridge, my visitors having all left me this morning. 
About a week since, and soon after his return from a se¬ 
cret mission to Baltimore, I received, through his servant 
Juniper, a letter from the chaplain of our battalion, the 
Reverend Adolphus Adam Gog, informing me that on 
the ensuing Thursday he would pay me his long-prom¬ 
ised visit for the purpose of canvassing the political 
events of 1776 in their connection with the present con¬ 
dition of affairs in the United States. 

Attended by his faithful henchman, the doctor arrived 
at my abode in due time for dinner, and met the two 
guests whom I had invited to assist me in his entertain- 
ment—Colonel Nicholas Spicer, a gentleman who lives 
on the eastern declivity of the Blue Ridge, and a friend 
and neighbor of his, known among his friends as “ The 




168 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Philosopher,” an appellation which has been bestowed 
on him as well from the calmness of his deportment as 
from the cast of his conversation. “ The Philosopher” is 
a peculiar person, and, as he will be often mentioned in 
my letters, deserves a few words of description. Self- 
control appears to be the primary law of his existence, 
and no Spartan ^ver obeyed its behests with sterner 
punctuality. His character is ennobled by many high 
traits, and though the exterior is cold and sometimes for¬ 
bidding, yet is he generous, indulgent to the faults of 
others, and characterized by great love of truth and 
scrupulous politeness. He is much given to reflection 
and to books; is solitary in his habits, and prone to si¬ 
lence ; but, if roused and interested, talks with freedom, 
and like a man of positive opinions. “ The Philosopher” 
has been in the Southern army, but was discharged from 
the service in consequence of a disabling wound. He is 
an old acquaintance of the chaplain, and was much grati¬ 
fied at again meeting with him. 

While seated at dinner, the doctor was called upon to 
give some account of his visit to Baltimore, where South¬ 
ern sympathy burns with so bright a flame, though in 
the trans-Potomac country. This is particularly true of 
the ladies of that city, who very early signalized their 
devotion to the Southern cause by voluntary sacrifices 
which involved pecuniary as well as personal inconven¬ 
ience. In response to a remark from me embodying the 
statement, the chaplain said, 

“ Yes, sir, I heard and saw enough of that during my 
sojourn in that city, and I dare say that scarcely a South¬ 
ern prisoner who has passed that way but will add his 
testimony to mine. It will not require a great weight 
of testimony to convince you, gentlemen, that while I re¬ 
mained in that Federal garrison I led a very retired life. 
But it was impossible to conceal the fact from the knowl- 


1G9 


The Chaplain's Visit to Baltimore. 

edge of the elect that the chaplain of Mosby’s Battalion 
was in the city, who made haste to show me attention in 
the most gratifying forms. Both gentlemen and ladies 
of the first consideration visited me at the house of the 
friend where I lay concealed, and never before were my 
powers of entertainment so severely tasked. But I 
trust, 11 added the parson, with a satisfied air as he turn¬ 
ed toward Colonel Spicer, “ I trust the honor of the bat¬ 
talion did not suffer in my hands.” 

Colonel Spicer, who is ajyfc to look to the main chance, 
here interposed: “ 1 admire the people of Baltimore; but, 
doctor, tell us, did their sympathy for our cause expend 
itself in kind words and compliments V 

Doctor Gog. “ By no means, Colonel Spicer; on the 
contrary, they gave me the most substantial evidences of 
their regard. My wardrobe was soon overstocked, and I 
have a box full of mementoes from the belles of Balti¬ 
more.” 

Colonel Spicer. “ Was that all?” 

Doctor Gog. “ You unconscionable guerrilla, no! Mon¬ 
ey, sir—money that can be carried in a man’s belt, was 
showered on me. So plentiful was my supply of Federal 
currency when I returned to Virginia that you would 
have sworn I had been upon the greenback raid.” 

Colonel Spicer. “ Do you think, doctor, if I were to go 
to Baltimore, the ladies would call to see me ?” 

The chaplain hesitated in his reply, as if unwilling to 
divide honors; but “ The Philosopher” smilingly said, 
u Beyond all doubt, Colonel Spicer.” • 

Colonel Spicer. “ It is true I am not a member of Col¬ 
onel Mosby’s command, and am not sure that I ever kill¬ 
ed a Yankee, though I shot at night at an intruder into 
my garden whom I always supposed to be one; but then 
I am remarkably well acquainted with the colonel, and 
have seen him often as he returned from his raids with 


170 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

his spoil and captives. Moreover, I was once myself col¬ 
onel of a militia regiment in Virginia, and I suppose all 
well-informed people in Baltimore are apprised of that 
fact. My family, too, have always had the military cast. 
They were distinguished both in the last war with En¬ 
gland, and in the revolution which won our independence, 
an event which The Philosopher, by-the-way, once told 
me crowned America with misfortunes, and was but the 
mother of anarchy and civil war.” 

The parson was not willing that Colonel Spicer should 
divert the conversation from his recent visit, and lead it, 
at that time, to so grave a subject as the political effects 
of the Revolution of 1776, so he resumed the thread of 
his conversation, and remarked: 

“ Among the devoted partisans of the South whom I 

met in Baltimore was Mrs. T-s, a native of Virginia, 

whom some of us can remember when she first appeared 
at the Fauquier Springs, at that time the resort of beau¬ 
ty and fashion.” 

Philosopher. “Yes,Miss A—ie G—n,we all remember 
her, with her brilliant dark eyes and chestnut hair. She 
was the ornament of the circle in which she moved. I 
see her now, through the vista of years, as she stood 
alone on a summer’s morn, arrayed in simple white, by 
the fountain which occupied the centre of those cultiva¬ 
ted grounds. She looked like a naiad, ready to plunge 
again in the crystal wave from which she had emerged; 
or it might be the Genius of the place, come to bless the 
spot on which she stood. As I gaze at that youthful 
form, adorned by Love and the Graces, I am carried back 
to the beautiful garden where love and the worship of 
God were the sole occupation of mankind.” 

Colonel Spicer. “ Bravo, Philosopher, bravo ! I remem¬ 
ber now to have heard that you once entertained an ami¬ 
able sentiment toward that lady.” 



m 


The Chaplain's Visit to Baltimore. 

The face of The Philosopher flushed deeply as he turned 
away, and Dr. Gog, who did not consider the subject of 
his visit to Baltimore yet exhausted, continued: 

“ Not only did a full share of the troubles and dangers 
which surrounded her class fall to this elect lady, but she 
gave freely the highest testimony of devotion in a moth¬ 
er’s power to afford. Two of her sons, Hanson and Ra¬ 
leigh, were officers in the Southern army, and her third 
son, Douglas, a youth of only fifteen years, was captured 
in an attempt to join the army of General Lee. But the 
object of greatest curiosity and interest wdiich I found in 
Baltimore was a gentleman whom I shall introduce to 
this company as ‘ The Philosopher of Springfield.’ I never 
saw any one who resembled him before, and I studied 
him as I would a specimen from the Zoological Gardens. 
There is nothing like him in the modern world, and com¬ 
parisons will have to be sought far back in classical his¬ 
tory. 

“ He looks for all the world like one of the old Greek 
philosophers. In person he resembles Socrates, but his 
shrewd and sarcastic observations on the drama of life 
and its actors declare him to be of the race of Diogenes. 
Now he will utter a sage apothegm that sounds like Doc¬ 
tor Franklin, but a biting jest soon brings the old cynic 
before you again. Like him of Sinope, he would reform 
society, and put folly and vice to the blush by satirical 
reproofs; but he meets, I suspect, with no better success 
than his antecedent and prototype. Hobbes has said 
that war is the natural state of man—a sentiment which 
is at least true here, for he lives in a state of amiable 
hostility with his whole acquaintance. The consequence 
is, if any one has a keen observation to make, he is sure 
to point it at this cynical philosopher, who, to do him 
justice, pays back the debt with a promptitude that 
would establish the credit of any merchant on change. 


172 


Partisan Life ivitli Mosby. 

“ During my sojourn in the city in so peculiar a man¬ 
ner associated with the memory of Washington, I met 
this gentleman at an entertainment given by a mutual 
acquaintance, and witnessed an encounter which he pro¬ 
voked with the sprightly and attractive Mistress M-. 

In a moment she was under arms, and retaliated on her 
adversary with a nimble and caustic wit. As she baffled 
him with her dazzling fence, and at the same time pierced 
him with a handful of shining darts, the company seemed 
all to agree that he had at last met his match, or, at any 
rate, had found an adversary worthy of his steel. The 
Philosopher gazed at his adversary with a surprise and 
wonder that might have possessed some redoubtable hero 
when he met Bellona in the field. 

“ But here the parallel between the ancient and the 
modern philosopher ceases, for The Philosopher of Spring- 
field does not live in a tub, but at a most charming 
country place, where he entertains himself with books 
and the rearing of Devon cattle of the purest breeds. 
Thither his friends—or, if you choose, his enemies-—often 
repair to partake of his hospitality and taste the nectared 
sweets of philosophy.” 

Colonel Spicer. “ Parson, I like thy picture well, and 
would be gratified to meet this Philosopher of Spring- 
field, though methinks I would not be overpleased to 
provoke his satirical wit. But, prithee, have you nothing 
to tell of the belles of the trans-Potomac? You once had 
an eye for beauty.” 

Doctor Gog. u And have it still—yea, a most lively ap¬ 
preciation of all female perfections. Well, this philoso¬ 
pher has a fair daughter, the sweetest damsel that ever 
my foolish eyes looked upon.” 

Philosopher. “ I am interested. Paint me the nymph 
in her sky robes laced with sunbeams, and in all the 
bright colors of her beautiful youth.” 



173 


The Chaplain's Visit to Baltimore. 

Doctor Gog. “The language of prose lias no application 
to her. Poetry alone should attend her footsteps, gar¬ 
land her brow, and embalm her memory.” 

Colonel Spicer. “Why, parson, she must be a tasty 
lass.” 

Doctor Gog. “But let the truth be spoken, the lady has 
her drawbacks—yes, most serious drawbacks and dis¬ 
qualifications. Her name is fickleness. You might as 
easily fix the transient meteor as her thoughts. I had a 
mind to make an investment in the matrimonial stocks, 
and abandon forever Mosby and his guerrillas, and listen 
for the rest of my natural life to the teachings of philos¬ 
ophy under the lindens which whisper to the winds and 
render Springfield umbrageous, but I could not fix the in¬ 
constant sprite, this modern Titania. I lost the lady, but 
then I did not lose my revenge, and revenge is a morsel de¬ 
licious even to the gods. Like the Parthian, who is most 
dangerous when discomfited and flying, I shot back an ar¬ 
row at her, or rather shot a paper bullet at my fair foe.” 

Colonel Spicer. “ These guerrillas have most singular 
ideas about property. Here is their chaplain, with the air 
of a bankrupt, tells us he lost the maiden, though from 
his own account it appears he had never won her. Just 
so the Partisans sometimes return with downcast visages, 
and tell you they have 4 lost a million of dollars,’ because 
they have made an unsuccessful attack on a train loaded 
with greenbacks. A most singular mode, upon my soul, 
they have of estimating their effects! If one of them 
took a fancy to my farm, he would say with a sigh that 
but for an accident he would have been a landed pro¬ 
prietor.” 

Philosopher. “ A paper bullet! Then of course you 
addressed her in the language of poetry. Repeat the 
verses. The marble-hearted fair ought, for the safety of 
mankind, to be banished to the cloister, there to wear 


174 


Partisan Life with, Mosby. 

“ The livery of a nun, 

Chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless moon.” 

After some persuasion, the chaplain repeated, in a most 
affecting manner, these lines, which, after the custom of 
the poets, he inscribed to the lady under a fanciful name: 

“TO SILVIA. 

“ Silvia’s love is like a fountain 
Bubbling from a green-clad mountain; 

Never still, but ever flowing, 

Be it calm or be it blowing. 

Now madly in a cascade rushing, 

Now in the sunshine gently blushing; 

Then to the ear its murmuring tone 
Is on the gentlest zephyr borne. 

Each mossy bed and rough stone favoring, 

In tone, and speed, and motion wavering, 

It is a thing to chance e’er bending, 

To storm or calm its influence lending. 

To know new things ’tis ever learning, 

To once-seen objects ne’er returning; 

Now ’tis here, and then ’tis gone, 

In beauty yet still flowing on. 

On the water’s shifting tide, 

As gently on their course they glide, 

Words or marks make with thy finger, 

Then write love on Silvia’s mind; 

A moment gone, no traces linger 
Of either that was left behind.” 

Colonel Spicer. “ A pretty parallel, and well worded! 
But if that was all yon could effect, you ought to be un¬ 
churched. Tell me not of love-verses when the honor of 
the battalion is at stake! You ought to have brought 
the lady back with you. Her hand was the trophy we 
all had a right to expect.” 

Doctor Gog. “Well, colonel, I did make a raid on her, 
but not a step would she budge; and when I held up 
before her the charming vicissitudes of our Partisan life, 


The Chaplain's Visit to Baltimore. 


175 


she quietly replied that she had no taste for guerrillas, 
and that when she became a soldier she meant to enlist 
in the regular service. What could be done with a per¬ 
verse woman like that ?” 

Colonel Spicer. “ That’s no excuse whatever in this 
command, where there is a regular professor of love and 
courtship. Why, the professor assures me that, according 
to his method, a young woman stands no chance at all, 
and that the winning of her is as certain as a mathemat¬ 
ical calculation—yes, as certain as that twice one makes 
two. If this thing gets out you will lose all your religious 
influence. No, sir, a raid wasn’t the thing. You should 
have laid siege to the fortress, and established your par¬ 
allels, as the professor would express it. You have been 
defeated, notwithstanding all the advantages of a scien¬ 
tific education, in a general engagement by a young lady, 
who, I dare say, is not out of her teens, and have seriously 
compromised the reputation of the battalion for gallantry. 
At the first opportunity that offers itself I shall strongly 
advise Colonel Mosby to take away your commission, or 
send you to follow your vocation of soul-saving in the 
regular army, though I scarcely think you would do for 
the chaplain of Stonewall Jackson. I am deeply morti¬ 
fied, parson, at your inglorious defeat at 4 the battle of 
Baltimore,’ as some future chronicler will call the engage¬ 
ment ; and, old a man as I am, if I had not some seventeen 
or twenty blooming angels, I would brush up and take a 
paragraph at the young beauty myself. If I could step 
back some twenty summers on the path of life, it would 
afford me a great pleasure to solve that scientific problem. 
By my faith, the lady would soon discover that King 
Agamemnon had taken the field! The next best thing 
to be done is to send Charley Grogan, or some other brave 
from ‘ Company Darling,’ to try the effect of the mathe¬ 
matics upon her.” 



176 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

Doctor Gog. “But the man to whom I laid the closest 
in Baltimore was old Dan Tucker—they call him 4 King 
Tucker.’ Old Dan is one of the merchant princes of Balti¬ 
more, nay, of America, for that matter, and his name would 
be honored by the Bank of England for a million. But 
I scorn in these high times to speak of such ignoble things 
as ledgers and bills of exchange, and tell you that he is 
as nice a piece of company as ever you tied to, Colonel 
Spicer.” 

“ Tucker, Tucker,” said Colonel Spicer, with a very pro¬ 
found air; u Tucker; that name sounds not unfamiliar in 
my ears. Does he belong to the family of the old judge, 
or that pleasant fellow, Ban ?” 

Doctor Gog. “ The same breed of dogs — the old Ber¬ 
muda stock.” 

Colonel Spicer. “ It is certainly a very good breed of 
dogs. There is Dave, the best doctor they ever had in 
Richmond, and L Bev,’ who is known to all the crowned 
heads and pretty women in Europe.” 

Doctor Gog. “ Well, old Dan is worth them all put to¬ 
gether, even if they are made of pure gold. The truth is, 
Colonel Spicer, old Dan is a trump. Many a time have 
I gone on the sly to his elegant home with that prince 
of gentlemen and good fellows, Hughes Armistead, and, I 
tell you, we made his Champagne and Madeira talk!’.’ 

Colonel Spicer. “ I think it far more probable, parson, 
that old Dan’s Champagne and Madeira made you talk. 
Ha, ha, ha!” and with this bit of pleasantry the colonel 
rose from his chair, and walked to the fire to light his 
pipe, which he “ set great store to,” as he said, because it 
was the gift of Colonel Mosby. 

The Philosopher appearing somewhat annoyed at the 
personal attack made upon him by Colonel Spicer, as soon 
as dinner was over, arose and proposed to adjourn to the 
adjoining room, where we could discuss at leisure the 


Surprise of the Camp at Harper's Ferry. 177 

subject which had procured me the honor of the chap¬ 
lain’s visit. 

The Philosopher here engaged in the examination of 
the causes which produced the American Revolution, and 
some other matters not of interest in this connection. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

SUEPEISE OF THE CAMP AT HAEPEE’s FEEEY.— DEATH OF 

TOM TUEXEE. 

Upper Fauquier, January 21st, 1864. 

Deae Peecy, —Mosby had determined to celebrate the 
advent of the New Year by a raid into Fairfax, and had 
ordered the men to assemble on the morning of the 1st 
of January for this purpose. But, before he arrived at 
the rendezvous, Sam Underwood rode rapidly into the 
village and reported that he had been pursued by a par¬ 
ty of Federals who were not far off. Captain Smith, who 
was on the ground, ordered Underwood to take his broth¬ 
er Bush and another man, and follow the enemy, and re¬ 
port their movements to him at a designated point. He 
then galloped off to where he knew his company was as¬ 
sembling preparatory to the proposed raid. Finding 
twenty-five of his men in place, he moved them to the 
point agreed upon with Underwood, and was met there 
with the information that the Yankees were a detach¬ 
ment of Major Cole’s Maryland Battalion, who had been 
sent, under command of Captain Hunter, into “ Mosby’s 
Confederacy” to capture the guerrilla band, and that they 
had gone to Five Points, a place where five roads meet, 
and distant a few miles from where Smith’s command 
then was. Captain Smith frankly told his men that they 
outnumbered three to one, but that he meant to 

M 


were 



178 Partisan Life ivitli Mosby. 

0 

fight, and added that any man who shrank from the com¬ 
bat upon such terms was at liberty to withdraw. The 
captain was answered by hearty cheers, and at once 
moved off in the direction of the enemy. Just as the 
Federals had entered an open field for the purpose of 
forming in line of battle to receive the attack, the Parti¬ 
sans dashed in upon them. They broke and fled, the 
bulk of them in the direction of Middleburg, hotly pur¬ 
sued for several miles. When Smith’s company, exhaust¬ 
ed and burdened with prisoners, were * about to relin¬ 
quish the pursuit, Mosby, with six fresh men, took it up, 
and followed the routed enemy through Middleburg and 
into the country beyond, in the direction of Harper’s Fer¬ 
ry, from which place the expedition had started. Thus 
the raiders returned, having lost ten of their number kill¬ 
ed and wounded, forty-one taken prisoners, and fifty horses, 
with their equipments. Smith’s loss was Corporal Du- 
lick slightly wounded. 

With Captain Smith in this fight was James Keith, of 
Fauquier, adjutant of the 4th Virginia Cavalry, and a 
member of the original Black Horse Company. He bore 
himself with conspicuous gallantry, and well sustained 
the reputation of his command. 

About a week after the fight at Five Points, Captain 
Stringfellow reported to Mosby the situation of a Federal 
camp, which, he thought, might be easily surprised, at the 
eastern base of the Blue Ridge, on the road from Hillsboro 
to Harper’s Ferry, and within a mile of the latter place. 
Captain Stringfellow is well known in the army as a suc¬ 
cessful and reliable scout, is employed alike by Lee and 
Stuart, and upon information derived through him often 
depends the march of large bodies of troops. Without 
hesitation, therefore, Mosby prepared for an attack upon 
Major Cole’s camp, whom he was eager to capture, on ac¬ 
count of his rough treatment of the people living along 


Surprise of the Camp at Harper's Ferry . 179 

the border. With Companies “ A,” “ B,” and “ C,” he be¬ 
gan his march on the afternoon of the 9 th of January, and 
halted for a few hours soon after nightfall at Woodgrove, 
the residence of Mr. Heaton, where cheerful fires blazed 
in every room, and a plentiful supper had been prepared 
tor both officers and men. Several hours glided pleas¬ 
antly away, until, as had been agreed upon, a courier ar¬ 
rived from Stringfellow (who, with a party of ten men, 
had remained to watch the camp) with the information 
that every thing was favorable for the execution of the 
plan. At nine o’clock we were ordered to resume the 
march. The night was clear, but intensely cold, and the 
snow lay six inches deep on the ground, muffling the 
sound of the horse’s feet as the column moved on. With¬ 
in a mile and a half of the camp we were joined by 
Stringfellow’s party, and, leaving the grade at right an¬ 
gles, we struck across a narrow skirt of country to the 
base of the Short Hill Mountain. Here the command 
was halted and the horses fed, while our leader, accom¬ 
panied by Stringfellow, went forward to reconnoitre the 
camp. In about two hours they returned, and our col¬ 
umn marched along the base of the mountain until it 
reached the Potomac River. Then we proceeded along 
the river bank toward Harper’s Ferry, ascending on our 
route a wooded cliff, which could only be done by lead¬ 
ing our horses, and grasping in our ascent the thick bush¬ 
es with which it was covered. Along the crest of this 
cliff ran the grade, which we gained at a point midway 
between Harper’s Ferry, where several thousand troops 
were quartered, and the camp which we wished to sur¬ 
prise. At this place Mosby made his dispositions for at¬ 
tack. Captain Smith, with a party, was directed to se¬ 
cure the horses which were standing around the hospital 
building; Stringfellow, with his party of scouts, to cap¬ 
ture Major Cole and the officers at his head-quarters, 


180 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

while Mosby, with the bulk of the command, was to at¬ 
tack the camp. 

In order to make the surprise complete, our leader had 
dismounted a portion of the men, and had succeeded in 
capturing the first row of tents, when Stringfellow’s party, 
contrary to orders, came galloping into the camp. The 
Partisans, supposing them to be Yankees, fired, killing or 
wounding six of them before the mistake was discovered. 
The firing and the confusion which began to prevail roused 
the Federals, who, being rallied by Captain Vernon, of 
Maryland, poured a rapid fire upon their assailants. 
Seeing that his plans had miscarried, and that his men 
were falling beneath the fire of friends as well as of 
enemies, and hearing, too, the signal - gun on Loudoun 
Heights, Mosby ordered a retreat in the direction of 
Hillsboro. But this order was not heard by those on 
the outskirts of the camp. In a little while Captain 
Smith, uniting with Captain Chapman, dashed in among 
the tents with fifty men, but was soon driven out. The 
two officers, unattended, then returned to the camp to 
look after their wounded, and had not gone far when 
they recognized Charlie Paxson, of Loudoun, extended on 
the ground, so badly wounded that he was unable to 
rise. He besought them in moving terms to carry him 
off, which Smith was preparing to do, when he was fired 
upon from one of the tents and instantly killed. Chap¬ 
man, supposing his companion was only wounded, hast¬ 
ened to obtain assistance to bear him away, when he was 
met by Lieutenant Gray, who communicated to him Mos- 
by’s order to retreat. 

They had not proceeded more than a few hundred 
yards toward Hillsboro when they overtook the Baron 
von Massow, who, touched with a generous compassion, 
had just lifted a wounded soldier on his horse to convey 
him to a place of safety. 


Surprise of the Camp at Harper's Ferry . 181 


At this time, two miles farther on, Mosby was stand¬ 
ing by the bedside of Lieutenant Tom Turner, who had 
been mortally wounded early in the fight, and had been 
borne to the house of Levi Waters, which stands on the 
margin of the road. It was an affecting spectacle to 
see the men gathered around the wounded officer, to 
look for the last time on him whom they had followed 



TOM TURNER DYING. 


in so many fights; hut hope still kept her vigils by his 
couch, and in cheerful accents he assured his sorrowing 
comrades that in another week he would be with them 
again. It was, however, but the delusive voice of a 
charmer. Never again will he mount the neighing steed; 
never again, with throbbing pulse and kindling eye, will 
he listen to the trumpet’s loud call, nor carry aloft amid 
a hundred foes the crimson banner of his chieftain. 
































































































































































































































182 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

The race is run, the battle has been fought, the fitful 
dream is over. Brave spirit, rest! The youthful war¬ 
rior now sleejDS in Arnold Cemetery, near Hillsboro, and 
his name will be held in honor as long as the annals of 
the battalion endure. 

The command reached Woodgrove by sunrise the next 
morning, from which place a flag of truce was sent to 
Major Cole by Captain Chapman to propose an exchange 
of prisoners, and request the permission to remove our 
dead and wounded. But Major Cole refused to receive 
any communication from Mosby, which shows the embit¬ 
tered feelings of the enemy toward him. 

We brought off ten prisoners and forty-five horses 
—a poor compensation for the grievous loss which the 
battalion had sustained; for, in addition to those already 
mentioned, William E. Colston, William H. Turner, of 
Maryland, and Robertson had been mortally wounded, 
while Boyd Smith and several others had received less 
serious injuries. 

Thus sadly ended one of Mosby’s most daring enter¬ 
prises, which promised to be a perfect success, but was 
defeated by one of those strange occurrences which are 
beyond the power of the most prudent to anticipate. 

The defeat at Harper’s Ferry was enough to damp the 
ardor of any spirit but Mosby’s. But so great is its 
elastic vigor that soon he was as busily engaged in new 
enterprises as though he had sustained no reverse. “ Ever 
superior to Fortune, he endures her frowns with serenity, 
enjoys her smiles with moderation, and shows himself 
alike in victory forbearing and in defeat undaunted.” 
His countenance and deportment correspond with his 
character—firm, collected, intelligent. 

Chapman, a deserter from the California Battalion, who 
had been received into the Partisan command, reported 
the Federal camp at Vienna to be in a condition to be 


Surprise of the Camp at Harper's Ferry . 183 

easily surprised. He was anxious for Mosby to accom¬ 
pany him in person to ascertain tlie correctness of tlie 
information, but to this Captain Chapman objected, think¬ 
ing that the temptation to betray our leader might prove 
too strong for the'guide’s fidelity. Instead, he proposed 
to go himself and inspect the camp, taking with him 
Flannegan, a daring soldier, to shoot the deserter guide 
in case he proved treacherous. This was agreed to, and 
the adventurous party set forth. It was very cold, and 
a crust of ice had formed over the snow, which crackled 
under their feet as they proceeded. At one o’clock at 
night they entered the camp, which they found had been 
protected by barricades to guard against nocturnal as¬ 
saults. While making his observations, Chapman had 
seen a number of stables, and, finding that the proposed 
surprise would be impracticable, he determined to car¬ 
ry back a lot of horses. Upon his return, Mosby, who, 
with twelve men, was awaiting the result of his visit 
to the camp in a wood about four hundred yards dis¬ 
tant, determined to repeat the operation. A second de¬ 
tail was made, of which Baron von Massow was one. 
They were equally successful; but the baron, as he 
brought off a fine horse, exclaimed, “Ah! Chapman, this 
is not fighting; this is stealing.” The guide, who had 
now proved his fidelity, was allowed, in charge of a party, 
to try his luck, and succeeded in getting a third supply 
of horses. The next morning, when the animals were 
missed, and a diligent but fruitless search had been made 
for them, it was agreed among the Yankees that Mosby 
must have called for them. 

I will now give you an account of a raid into the Val¬ 
ley,. undertaken by Captain Chapman during the tempo¬ 
rary absence of Mosby in Richmond on official business. 
Up to this time it had been the impression that the stone 
fences in that district, and the absence of bodies of wood 


184 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

to be used as a cover, rendered it nnsuited to partisan 
warfare, and Chapman was ordered not to attempt any 
thing in that direction unless confident of success. But 
on the 2d of February, with thirteen men, he crossed the 
dreaded Shenandoah and proceeded to Berryville, where 
he learned that a party of the enemy, about equal in 
strength to his own, had just left and gone to Charles¬ 
town. He at once struck across the country with the 
design of cutting them off, but instead, when he entered 
the turnpike, found himself immediately in their rear. 
A pursuit ensued, during which nine of the enemy were 
killed, wounded, and captured. From the prisoners 
Chapman learned that the garrison at Charlestown had 
gone on a raid to Winchester, to intercept General Bosser 
on his return from an expedition, and had left their camp 
and a large amount of military stores with a slender 
guard. 

Chapman at once returned to Fauquier and assembled 
the battalion to attempt the capture of this camp, but 
when he arrived within six miles of Charlestown he dis¬ 
covered the raiders on their return, and was compelled to 
abandon the enterprise. He, however, captured a good 
many prisoners, which was accomplished by calling strag¬ 
glers to the woods, who, thinking themselves invited by 
their comrades to participate in the spoil taken on the 
raid from citizens, would unhesitatingly obey the sum¬ 
mons, and so fell into the trap which Chapman had set 
for them. 

Mosby returned from Bichmond on the 18th of Feb¬ 
ruary, and was informed upon his arrival at Piedmont 
late in the afternoon that a party of raiders was out, guid¬ 
ed by Cornelle, who had deserted from the Partisan bat¬ 
talion to Gregg’s cavalry at Warrenton, and that they had 
captured several of the Bangers at their boarding-houses. 
He hastily collected a small band, with which he lay in 


The Tivo Brides. 


185 


ambush, hoping to intercept the raiders, but he was too 
late, for they had already returned to their camp at War- 
renton. 

'While in Richmond he had procured the transfer of 
the Rev. Samuel J. Chapman to the Partisan Battalion 
as adjutant, with the rank of first lieutenant. He is a 
brother of Captain Chapman, with whom he served as 
lieutenant in the Dixie Battery, and was then assigned, 
along with him, to conscript duty in Fauquier. While 
thus employed he often joined Mosby in his raids. At 
the request of General Deering he had been ordered to 
Caskie’s Artillery Battalion, in which he served with 
distinction until the time of which I am writing. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE TWO BRIDES. 

Upper Fauquier, February 6th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —I have recently attended wedding fes¬ 
tivities at B—d, in Loudoun County, an account of which 
I will give you to-day. 

Two sons of the house had brought home their brides, 
friends had assembled from all directions to greet them, 
and all things were prepared for the reign of pleasure. 
During the evening a laughable scene occurred between 
one of these brides and the chaplain of our command, 
the Rev. Adolphus Adam Gog, and, as you have re¬ 
quested me to relate the adventures of the worthy cler¬ 
gyman, I will give you a somewhat full account of the 
incident to which I refer. You say that the chaplain is 
certainly a character of marked originality. I feel sure 
you will be more decidedly of that opinion than ever 
after you have heard the story I am about to tell you. 





186 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

I am pleased to hear that Sir Anthony, your wife, and 
the. rest of the family have received pleasure from hear¬ 
ing my letters read, and that the names of the chaplain 
of Mosby’s Battalion and of his chief of staff are as fa¬ 
miliar in the household as the names of Mosby, Chapman, 
and Richards. 

With a party of eighteen or twenty, of whom your cor¬ 
respondent was one, Mosby set out from “ Heartland,” 
and reached B—d, our “objective point,” as the chief 
called it, a full half hour before the guests began generally 
to assemble. After throwing off our wrappings and over¬ 
coats, we advanced into one of the rooms thrown open for 
the reception of guests, and were soon met by young Mrs. 
Carter, upon whom, in consequence of the indisposition 
of the mistress of the house, had been devolved the grace¬ 
ful duty of presiding for that evening, though she was 
herself a bride of a few weeks’ duration. Here, then, is 
one of the brides. The other was a beauty from the Lower 
Rappahannock, but with her I contracted only a slight 
and formal acquaintance. But I shall have occasion to 
introduce you more particularly to the hostess-bride, to 
whom, in turn, several of us were presented by Mosby. 
She received us all with graceful courtesy, but no one in 
so distinguished a manner as the chaplain of our com¬ 
mand. The doctor was highly pleased, for the lady ex¬ 
tended to him her hand, on which sparkled a costly gem. 
She was prettily habited in a light-colored silk, so fitted 
as to display to advantage an elegant and graceful figure. 
Her eyes, large and black, were filled with light and sen¬ 
timent, and her hair was so glossy and redundant as to 
make you marvel at the skill which could dispose of the 
superfluous tresses. The doctor has a great fancy for 
“ pretty women,” as he curtly expresses it, nor did he on 
this occasion withhold the homage of his admiration. But 
this was not all, for the parson, whose heart has not been 


The Tivo Brides. 


187 


wholly purged of worldly thoughts, determined to extort 
admiration in return. It was with satisfaction that he 
cast his eyes at a mirror, on whose polished surface he 
saw reflected his own person arrayed in Confederate gray 
of Shafer’s latest and best cut, and with the cross on his 
breast, the customary badge of Southern chaplains, to de¬ 
note his holy office. 

I would not have you, my friend, to imagine that the 
parson expected to inspire that beautiful lady with the be¬ 
lief that he possessed a large amount of physical beauty 
—no, that was not the doctor’s mark. But there was a 
class of charms to which the dignified churchman aspired, 
by means of which he hoped to carry off the prize of 
Mrs. Carter’s admiration — fine manners, a genteel and 
self-possessed bearing, and a copious flow of learned, elo¬ 
quent, and impressive conversation, seasoned, perhaps, 
with occasional sallies of wit. Here was a field in 
which he meant that night to shine a constellation of 
unrivaled splendor. While he held in just contempt 
mere symmetry of form and feature, he yet considered that 
so intellectual a part would be highly appropriate to his 
great fame, and the eminent position he held in Mosby’s 
Confederacy. So Doctor Gog deliberately selected his 
line of battle, threw out his skirmishers, put his artillery 
in position, and prepared to open on the enemy. 

It falls to the lot of the historian of these events to re¬ 
late that, among the many perfections with which a gen¬ 
erous Creator had endowed Mrs. Carter, there yet dwelt 
in her one small fault, if, indeed, so harsh and unhand¬ 
some an appellative could be applied to any of her qual¬ 
ities. But the swart fairy had intruded at the auspi¬ 
cious hour of her birth, and had cast into the golden urn 
of her virtues this fault. She was truly pious, and Chris¬ 
tian piety, even infidels allow, imparts to a lady’s charac¬ 
ter the highest finish. It is the celestial gloss which 


188 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

shines on the plumage of the angels. Do not suppose 
for a moment, therefore, that I mean to enumerate Chris¬ 
tian piety as a fault—no; but it was in the excess of this 
principle that the fault consisted. Perfection is found in 
harmony and proportion; but here was a discord—a dis¬ 
proportion—a fault. Mrs. Carter, at least so thought her 
unconverted friends, set too high a value on the minis¬ 
ters of the Gospel, or “ the parsons,” as that self-denying 
brotherhood are called in Mosby’s Confederacy. 

Throughout the range of her acquaintance, even be¬ 
fore her marriage, Mrs. Carter was known as the stead¬ 
fast friend of Colonel Mosby and the Partisan Battalion. 
Yet was there one thing about it which she did not like 
—the battalion had no chaplain. It was a great scandal, 
she thought, and felt that it boded no good. Some of 
Mosby’s men, she reflected, were being killed every day, 
and, what made the matter worse, many of them were 
mere boys, who, by rights, ought to be at home with 
their sisters, instead of being here, belted with pistols, and 
swearing strange oaths. The thing did not suit her at 
all, and she was resolved not to let the matter drop. So 
much importance did she attach to it, that on the very 
next occasion which offered itself she remonstrated with 
Mosby on the subject, and received from him the assur¬ 
ance that, as soon as a suitable person could be found, he 
would provide his command with a religious instructor. 
It was easy enough, he said, to pick up an army chap¬ 
lain, but one suited to his command ought to possess all 
the higher qualities of a missionary—piety, learning, zeal, 
courage, added to a force of character that would enable 
him to impress the consciences of so peculiar a body as 
the Partisan Battalion. And Mrs. Carter could not but 
acknowledge the justness of this observation. 

Her gratification, then, was very great, when to the 
pleasure of that evening was added an introduction to 





The Tivo Brides. 


189 


the Reverend Adolphus Adam Gog, C. M. B., as he al¬ 
ways signs himself. Happy Mrs. Carter! Contrary and 
perverse things had conspired to render that evening 
blessed. How the bright smile hung upon her lips and 
laughed in her eyes. It was with a peculiar grace, in 
which joy mingled, that this lady, so debonair, placed her 
small hand in the huge fist of Doctor Gog, and invited 
him, by a courteous gesture, to a seat not far off. I follow¬ 
ed them, and, seating myself near the lady, am enabled to 
report a portion of the conversation that ensued. 

Mrs. Carter. “ How honored, Dr. Gog, we ought to feel 
that you have brought yourself to cast your lot with us 
on this neutral ground of the two armies. But of this, 
reverend sir, be assured, however things may go, you will 
be repaid for the sacrifice by the consciousness of doing 
good—the only guerdon, after all, to a well-poised mind. 
You could scarcely have chosen, for the exercise of your 
pious energies, a more extensive field of labor than the 
one before you.” 

Dr. Gog. “ True, Mistress Carter; as the sacred volume 
declareth, 6 The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are 
few.’ ” 

Mrs. Carter. “What circumstance, doctor, first directed 
your attention to Mosby’s Confederacy V 

Dr. Gog. “ Mistress Carter, the incident is quite out of 
the common course, and carrieth a complexion of ro¬ 
mance. As I strolled through the public square in Rich¬ 
mond, and was standing at the base of the monument 
erected by the gratitude of Virginia and the genius of 
Crawford to the men who broke our union with England 
and contracted it with the North, a party of well-favored 
youths passed by, dressed in the manner of soldiers. In¬ 
quiry elicited the fact that they were of the band known 
as 6 Mosby’s men,’ a reprobate and lost crew. Further¬ 
more, Mistress Carter, I learned that they were entirely 



190 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

destitute of the means of Christian grace, no ecclesiastic 
having been found bold enough to attack, as it were, the 
Prince of Evil in that, his impregnable strong-hold. My 
informant, a cpiiet and ancient citizen, presented to me a 
cup brimful of horrors. I was deeply impressed by the 
recital, and at once resolved to go forth, with oaken staff 
and sandal shoon, among those anthropophagi, like an¬ 
other apostle of the Gentiles, and dispute with Satan so 
goodly a heritage. My propositions were promptly ac¬ 
ceded to by their chief, and I entered without delay on 
my ministry.” 

Mrs. Garter. “ That evening’s stroll looks almost prov¬ 
idential, but it only shows by what trifles the human 
destiny is shaped.” 

Dr. Gog. “ Mistress Carter, it was altogether provi¬ 
dential, and is well matched by a romantic incident re¬ 
lated in church history. The story is told by Ranke, 
but more fully and pathetically by Mosheim and Milner. 
Robert Southey, too, in his account of what he calls the 
origin of the Established Church, gives it in his usual 
diluted style.” 

Mrs. Carter. “ Do tell me the incident to which you 
allude, for it is so seldom that we meet nowadays with 
a clergyman so erudite and instructive.” 

This sly and well-timed compliment produced a fine 
effect on the parson. His sympathies underwent a mark¬ 
ed expansion, and his companion rose many degrees in 
his good opinion. “Handsome,” said he to himself; “and 
so devilish clevej. Clearly a woman of great discern¬ 
ment.” The chaplain then mustered all his energies, 
and having in a very deliberate and impressive manner 
cleared his throat, proceeded to comply with the lady’s 
request. 

“About the period of the arrival of the Saxons in En¬ 
gland—that is, in the sixth century of the Christian era, 


The Too Brides. 


191 


Mistress Carter—Pope Gregory was strolling through 
the Roman Forum, when he beheld a group of blue-eyed, 
fair-haired captives exposed for sale. He was informed 
that they had been brought from Britain, once an insu¬ 
lar possession of the Romans, where Gospel truth had, ac¬ 
cording to tradition, been once planted, but did not then 
shine, but where the inhabitants were abandoned to the 
sanguinary superstition of the Druids, or else were doing 
abhorred rites to Thor and Odin. ‘ Alas! alas!’ exclaim¬ 
ed the good pope, ‘that the Prince of Darkness should 
possess countenances so luminous, and that so fair a front 
should cover minds destitute of eternal grace.’ 

“ As the result of that fortuitous, or, as I call it, provi¬ 
dential happening, the mission was resolved on of Au¬ 
gustine ‘ the monk’ (as he is called in ecclesiastical history, 
to distinguish him from the illustrious father of the same 
name), or ‘Augustine and his forty monks,’ as Gibbon 
irreverently styles the sacred embassage.” 

The lady bowed her head in a very instructed manner 
as the reverend doctor paused and looked grandly into 
her splendid eyes. He thought they looked brighter 
than ever, for the power of appreciating the intellectual 
superiority of another is a faculty rarely bestowed on 
young ladies. 

Mrs. Carter. “ Have you, doctor, a chapel in which to 
collect your congregation for instruction ?” 

Dr. Gog. “Yes, madam, I have an edifice for that pur¬ 
pose, where I sometimes thunderize the guerrillas; but, 
on account of their irregular mode of life, I am compelled 
to administer instruction wherever I find them—in the 
highways, in the forest, in the camp, or at'the bivouac. 
But the most potent influence which I bring to bear on 
them is the force of mine own example; for, Mistress Car¬ 
ter, an inquisition into the heart of man will teach us 
that the true way to govern that wayward child is 


192 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

through his affections, and by holding up before him a 
model for imitation.” 

A prolonged whistle of astonishment was, as he said 
this, heard at the parson’s elbow. He started, looked 
quickly around, but beheld only a receding figure. His 
face, however, Hushed a deeper carnation as he turned to 
listen again to his companion. 

“ Has your ministry, Doctor Gog, been attended as yet 
with much success ?” 

Dr. Gog. “ Rarely, Mistress Carter, has so large a meas¬ 
ure of success been vouchsafed to the proclamation of the 
Word. Last Sabbath day one month ago, a mighty con¬ 
course gathered to hear me. It was a second day of Pen¬ 
tecost ; all counted who that day professed a quickening 
—furloughed soldiers, Yankee prisoners, contrabands, and 
citizens, besides my own proper charge, amounted to a 
trifle less than five hundred souls, that is — if Yankees 
have souls, a question on which divines are much di¬ 
vided.” 

Mrs. Carter. “ Five hundred souls, doctor ?” 

/ 

Dr. Gog. “ Yes, Mistress Carter, five hundred souls.” 

At this period of the conversation the whistle again 
sounded in the chaplain’s ears, and his eyes kindled with 
ire as he beheld the figure of a soldier disappearing in 
the crowd. Mrs. Carter was herself offended at the rude¬ 
ness of this interruption, and inquired the name of the 
intruder. 

Dr. Gog. “That youngster, madam, is an idiot boy, 
who has eluded the vigilance of his parents, and attached 
himself to the command, where the good nature of Mos¬ 
by allows him to remain. He entertains himself, and 
sometimes others, with uncouth gestures, whistlings, and 
strange exclamations.” 

Mrs. Carter. “Where do his parents reside? You have 
not told me his name.” 


The Tivo Brides . 193 

Dr. Gog. “In Richmond,madam; and his name is John 
Munson.” 

Mrs. Carter was here called off, and Adolphus Adam 
Gog, C. M. B., was left alone. 

“ I have rarely seen a pretty woman take more stock 
in a parson,” said he, with a chuckle, while a prolonged 
visit to “ Oatlands,” and visions of deviled turkey and 
roast pig, of which he was so uncommonly fond, rose be¬ 
fore the divine. He thought, too, of Mr. Carter’s cellar 
and his baronial mansion; how he would saunter along 
the avenue of grand old oaks, the contemporaries, it might 
be, of Columbus, having at his elbow a library of old En¬ 
glish authors—books that “ a man might tie to.” “ I have 
rarely seen a pretty woman take more stock in a parson,” 
repeated the doctor, as he drew on his gloves, and began 
to saunter through the rooms. 

When Mrs. Carter again met the Partisan chief, she 
thanked him for bringing his chaplain to their marriage 
feast. 

“ I am charmed with him, he is so intelligent and dig¬ 
nified, and his intelligence and dignity are accompanied 
by such unaffected piety. He is so learned, too, that he 
almost reminds one of St. Paul.” 

Here the gray eyes sparkled as, with a polite bow, their 
owner assented to the lady’s remark, but a minute ob¬ 
server would have detected a smile lurking in the corners 
of the mouth. But Mrs. Carter was far too happy that 
evening to be prying into the mystery of smiles, and seek¬ 
ing to interpret the enigmas of the countenance. At that 
moment she was informed by a servant that Hick Buck¬ 
ner and his guerrilla band were ready to strike up the 
music, if such was her pleasure. 

“Not for the world,” exclaimed the hostess, “until I 
know the wishes of the Rev. Hr. Gog on the subject. Ho 
you think, colonel, he would object?” 

N 


194 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 

Thus appealed to, Colonel Mosby deferred the question 
to the parson himself, who was not far off. Bowing with 
great politeness to the lady, the reverend gentleman, in 
his own style, thus answered her question: 

“ Music and dancing, Mistress Carter, I esteem appro¬ 
priate to this occasion and this company. Believe me, 
they are the reverse of disagreeable to my feelings. I 
approve, indeed, of all kinds of innocent pleasure, partic¬ 
ularly where it creates 

“ £ The pert and nimble spirit of mirth.’ 

I so love and admire innocence in all its forms, that I 
should be loth to confound it, by a prohibition, with 
wrong and error. Dancing, which embraces music, I con¬ 
sider, of every species of enjoyment, the most to be pre¬ 
ferred on every fitting occasion, for the reason that it 
combines exercise with grace, innocence, and pleasure— 
three which, if they be personified, could not be consider¬ 
ed out of place, if, to their own untaught harmonies, they 
were to tread a measure on the ivory floors of Paradise. 
Mistress Carter, we best praise the All-giver when, with¬ 
in the pale of innocence, we are happy. When I see one 
who, at suitable times, condemns the dance and the song, 
I suspect the presence of a weak head, a sour heart, or a 
hypocritical conscience.” 

Such liberal sentiments greatly pleased the lady, who, 
yet fearing lest the good parson had been somewhat gov¬ 
erned by politeness in what he had said, determined to 
save his sensibilities the slightest shock by conducting 
him to an apartment aloof from the dancers, where he 
would find company of a graver cast, among whom she 
knew were several elderly ladies who would be delight¬ 
ed with the opportunity of becoming acquainted with 
the chaplain of Mosby’s Battalion. 

But the chaplain of Mosby’s Battalion had formed, it 
soon appeared, other plans for the evening’s entertain- 


The Two Brides . 


195 


ment; so lie stoutly opposed the arrangement, and when 
urged by Mosby to accept the invitation, abruptly cross¬ 
ed the room and joined Miss Josephine Stevenson, one of 
the fairest ladies present, where I must leave the rever¬ 
end gentleman until a later period of the night. I have 
neglected to mention that before they parted company 
Mrs. Carter had engaged Doctor Gog to preach at Up- 
perville the ensuing Sunday, and had, in order to secure 
a large attendance, made the arrangement generally 
known to her guests. Thus things stood when she was 
both surprised and pained to see the chaplain lead the 
fair Josephine to the dance. His manners had under¬ 
gone an entire change, and were now as sportive as be¬ 
fore they had been grave. She looked at him with an 
expression of surprise and reproof; but her glances of 
displeasure produced no more effect on Doctor Gog than 
the darts of the Liliputian archers did on the person of 
Lemuel Gulliver. The truth is, the parson had taken 
about half a pint of “ blockade,” and did not care the 
snap of a finger for the reproachful looks of all the black 
eyes in Christendom. It was jierfectly clear, too, that he 
had forgotten all about his appointments, and was now 
engaged in quoting from Byron and Moore, instead of 
the fathers, to the sprightly Josepliine. 

Mrs. Carter, much displeased, withdrew from that part 
of the room, and saw no more of him until late in the 
evening, when she observed a general movement toward 
the spot where he was dancing. I, too, was attracted 
thither, and, to my surprise, discovered that the dance had 
been broken up with the exception of the chaplain, who 
was violently engaged in performing a solo. With arms 
akimbo and head thrown back, he was executing with 
great vigor and minuteness all the steps learned from an 
old-fashioned dancing-master—the double-shuffle, the pig- 
eon-wing, the back step, etc. Never did mortal ears hear 
so great a clatter made by a single pair of feet. 


196 



Partisan Life with Mosby. 


I looked up and saw standing before me Mrs. Carter, 
as if petrified with, surprise and mortification. Her hus¬ 
band was at her side, and I beard him say to her, 

“ You have a gay parson, my love. He preaches for 
us, does he not, the next .Lord’s day?” 

“Yes,” responded she, in a faint and troubled voice, 
and, as she said so, moved off to a remote part of the 
room. As she turned away her dejected visage remind¬ 
ed me of the woful faces that throng* the halls of Eblis. 


THE PARSON’S STAG DANCE. 

A pause in the music at this time occurred, and the 
unhappy lady looked as if relieved from a great torture; 
but no, no, it was only to be increased, for in noisy tones 
she heard the parson exclaim, as he advanced toward the 
musicians, 

“Holloah, Mister Nigger, give us the ‘ Ring-tailed 
Roarer!’ ” 

Dick Buckner. “ Don’t know it, parson.” 























Defeat of Captain Deid\s Cavalry Battalion. 197 

Doctor Gog. u The thunder you don’t! Give us, then, 
c Billy in the Low Grounds,’ or i Sugar in the Gourd,’ or 
‘ The Arkansas Traveler,’ or some hell-bender of your 
own!’ 

This sally produced immense laughter, in which it is 
needless to say Mrs. Carter did not unite. Instead, she 
buried her face in her handkerchief and wept with very 
vexation. She then arose, and, with a resolute air, ap¬ 
proached Colonel Mosby, who, as soon as he was inform¬ 
ed of the.nature of her perplexity, annulled all the chap¬ 
lain’s engagements, set Mrs. Carter at liberty, and restored 
smiles to her countenance. As she turned from him I 
heard her say, “ Never again will I invite one of these 
army men to preach—no, not if he be an archbishop.” 


CHAPTER XXV. 

DEFEAT AND DISPERSION OF CAPTAIN REID’s CAVALRY 

BATTALION. 

Upper Fauquier, February 26th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, — I have omitted to tell you that, about 
the date of the “ Chestnut Fork Raid,” Major Mosby es¬ 
tablished his head-quarters at the residence of Mr. Black- 
well Magog, his chief of staff, who lives within a short 
distance of Piedmont. Two days after the Cornelle Raid, 
a party, composed of the major, Jake Lavender, Johnny 
Edmunds, and Johnny Munson, were seated at breakfast, 
when Jimmy Edmunds ran in, and said that the turn¬ 
pike, which was about a mile distant, was “full of Yan-. 
kees.” At first they were incredulous, but Major Mosby 
said they had better saddle up and see for themselves. 
When they reached the road they discovered that it was 
crowded, as the little boy had said, with Federal cavalry, 



198 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

wlio proved to be Cole’s Battalion on a march from their 
camp at Harper’s Ferry to Front Boyal. The party pro¬ 
ceeded to Mrs. Chappelier’s orchard, where the major de¬ 
termined to open the tight—Johnny Edmunds and John¬ 
ny Munson each being armed with a long-range gun— 
and trust to the sound of the tiring to attract his men to 
the spot. This unexpected attack upon his column ar¬ 
rested the march of Major Cole, who doubtless thought 
the guerrillas prepared to harass his march, which lay 
through the Blue Bidge Mountains. In consequence, he 
reversed the head of his column, and returned toward 
Upperville. As it approached Gap Bun, Mosby, with 
his three men, took position on a hill immediately above 
the ford, where the major said he would try his hand, 
and, taking Edmunds’s carbine, he and Munson fired into 
the Yankees. The effect of this was to wound a man, 
kill a horse, and quicken the speed of the retreating 
column. This irregular fighting was kept up until the 
Federals reached Upperville, the Partisans having from 
time to time been re-enforced along the route. At this 
place Major Cole halted to have his horses fed, a pause 
which proved very advantageous to Mosby, for during 
the interval fifty of his men gathered around him. The 
mode of attack was now changed from sharp-shooting on 
the hills to assaults on the enemy’s rear, which induced 
Major Cole to keep out a strong rear-guard of sharp-shoot¬ 
ers. About two miles farther on we charged the rear¬ 
guard, drove them in, and threw the column into some 
confusion, but soon scattered before a counter-charge. As 
soon as they resumed the march we again charged, and 
this time with success, for, getting into close quarters, we 
drove them as far as Blakeley School-house. In this 
charge Mountjoy encountered Captain Morgan, and, after 
a personal contest, in view of both commands, killed him. 
Mosby witnessed the duel, and in warm terms congratu- 




Defeat of Captain Reid's Cavalry Battalion. 199 

lated tlie victor when it was over, assuring him that he 
had that day won a commission. At the school-house 
the fighting was very animated, charging and counter¬ 
charging until the enemy took refuge behind the stone 
fences which form the cross-roads at that place. From 
these, as a breastwork, they continued the fight, until 
Mosby, resolving not to be held at such disadvantage, 
flanked their position as if to throw himself in their front. 
While executing this movement he was brought in full 
range of the enemy, who, having identified him among 
the assailants, opened upon him a concentrated fire. His 
appearance was conspicuous, dressed in a dark overcoat, 
the cape of which, lined with scarlet, was thrown over 
his shoulder, and a light felt hat, with a black plume. 
He was mounted on a gray horse, remarkable for its 
beauty and activity, and Major Cole offered a reward to 
any one who would kill the Partisan chief. 

The Federal officer, seeing the dangerous position in 
which he was about to be placed, resumed his retreat, 
but with his flanks and rear still exposed to galling at¬ 
tacks, which were kept up for several miles farther. Mos- 
by’s loss was Lieutenant Fox and Starke wounded, while 
Major Cole lost one officer and five privates killed, and 
eight men, with their horses and equipments, taken pris¬ 
oners. 

During their advance through Fauquier the Federals 
captured two of the Rangers, John and Bartlett Bolling, 
at the residence of their father, and killed M‘Cobb, of 
Baltimore, who, when surprised at his boarding-house, 
mounted his horse, and, in attempting to leap a fence, was 
thrown, and there killed. 

Before disbanding the command, after the fight at 
Blakeley School-house, Major Mosby ordered it to rendez¬ 
vous at Piedmont the next day, for the purpose of escort¬ 
ing the remains of M‘Cobb to the grave. About nine 


200 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

o’clock on Sunday morning the men began to assemble— 
small squads arriving from time to time, while Mosby 
was at the house of John B. Jeffries writing a report to 
General Stuart of the proceedings of the last few days. 
He had not finished it when information was brought 
him that the Fairfax Yankees were in Fauquier on a 
raid, and were then in the vicinity of Middleburg. With¬ 
out waiting to pay the last sad tribute of respect to the 
memory of our comrade, the command, numbering one 
hundred and fifty, was marched, under Captain Chapman, 
in the direction of the enemy, while Mosby, with a small 
party, hastened forward to reconnoitre his position. He 
learned that the Yankees were a detachment of cavalry 
from Vienna, commanded by Captain Beid, and that they 
had gone from Hector’s Cross-roads across the country to 
Mountsville. Without delay, he started Sam Underwood 
and another man to follow their line of march, and report 
to him at a designated point below Mountsville, on the 
road leading from Snickersville to A1 die, where he would 
meet him with the command. Mosby’s object in this 
was to have it in his power to intercept Captain Beid in 
case he should attempt from Mountsville to return to his 
camp at Vienna. But Underwood reported that, instead, 
he had proceeded in the direction of Leesburg. With 
the object still in view of keeping between Captain Beid 
and his camp, Mosby marched his command to Carter’s 
Mill, on Goose Creek. Here he left it, with instructions 
to Chapman to have the horses fed at the corn-crib of a 
Union man in the neighborhood, whose principles Under¬ 
wood had reported, and from thence to proceed to the 
farm of Mr. Harrison, lower down on Goose Creek, and 
farther in the direction of the Leesburg and Dranesville 
Turnpike, along which he thought Captain Beid would 
return toward his camp, and there to await farther or¬ 
ders. Mosby then took a party to act as couriers, and 


Defeat of Captain Reid's Cavalry Battalion. 201 

proceeded toward Leesburg for the purpose of watching 
the movements of the enemy and directing those of his 
own command. He now felt sure of success; for, while 
his men were moving on the shorter interior line, the 
Yankees, as Sam Underwood expressed it, were marching 
on “the rainbow.” Finding himself correct in his con¬ 
jecture as to the route which Captain Reid would follow 
from Leesburg, Mosby, by a courier, ordered Chapman to 
move the command still nearer the turnpike, where at 
night he joined it, after he had discovered that the ene¬ 
my had camped at Mr. Kephart’s, who lives a short dis¬ 
tance from the turnpike, and had been joined by one 
hundred and fifty cavalry, under command of Major Fra¬ 
zier. The next morning, with a cheerful countenance, 
Mosby assured his men that it was all right, and they 
would certainly catch the Yankees before they got to 
their camp. He then marched still farther down the 
turnpike in the direction of Vienna, and posted the com¬ 
mand in a body of pines on the right of the road, and a 
little beyond Anker’s shop. 

But there was a point in his rear on the turnpike 
where a road branched to the right, by which it was pos¬ 
sible the raiders might return to their camp. Here he 
stationed Walter Whaley, to report to him which road 
they took; for, in the event of their leaving the turnpike, 
it was still in his power to strike across the country, and 
again throw himself in their front. 

O . • • 

Soon Whaley came dashing up with the information 
that the Federals had separated—Major Frazier having 
taken the country road, but that Captain Reid, with the 
California Battalion, was still traveling the turnpike. 

Mosby at once made his disposition for attack. Mount- 
joy, with twenty dismounted sharp-shooters, was placed 
in the centre of the position. The command was then 
divided into two parts; one, under Frank Williams, was 



202 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

posted forty yards to the right; the other, under Captain 
Chapman, forty yards to the left; while “Red Fox” and 
another man were stationed a short distance farther down 
the road, to attract the attention of the advancing col¬ 
umn. The orders issued were as follows: Mountjoy and 
his sharj3-shooters were to fire their carbines, and simulta¬ 
neously Williams and Chapman were to rush upon the ex¬ 
posed flank of the enemy at the sound of Mosby’s silver 
whistle, which he would blow when the column was in 
the act of passing. Strict silence was then enjoined, and 
we lay awaiting the approach of the enemy with breath¬ 
less anxiety. During this interval of suspense we dis¬ 
tinctly heard the deep peals of the great siege guns 
around Washington as they thundered forth gratitude 
and praise to the memory of the man who, above all oth¬ 
ers, founded the American Union, for the maintenance 
of which this destructive war is now being waged. 

As soon as the raiders arrived at Anker’s shop, which 
is on the slope of the hill toward Leesburg on which we 
were posted, their advance-guard, numbering about twen¬ 
ty men, discovered “ Red Fox,” and at once dashed for¬ 
ward in pursuit of him; but the column halted at the 
shop. Mosby, finding himself thus exposed to the danger 
of discovery by the vanguard if he waited for it to come 
up, gave the signal, which was followed by the crack of 
Mountjoy’s rifles, and in another moment by an onset 
from Williams and Chapman. Mosby, with Adjutant 
Chapman, charged at the head of Williams’s detachment 
down the hill upon the front of Reid’s column, while 
Captain Chapman, from his position, passing by a circuit 
through the pines, fell upon its rear. Thus assailed, re¬ 
sistance on the part of the enemy was of short duration. 
They broke and fled in every direction, but the bulk of 
them up the turnpike toward Leesburg closely pursued, 
and, in attempting to crowd through a gate on the road- 


Defeat of Captain Reid's Cavalry Battalion. 203 

side opening into a barn-yard, near which stood Mosby, 
with a party of his men, many of them were killed. 

Baron Massow, who was with Chapman’s party, distin¬ 
guished himself in the fight. Having emptied his pistol, 
lie recurred to his sword, and dashed into the midst of the 
Hying enemy. Captain Reid, whom he passed in his 
rapid career, by a shot from his revolver inflicted upon 
him a dangerous wound, which brought him to the 
ground. Chapman, seeing his friend fall from his horse, 
spurred forward to engage the man by whom he had 
been shot, and, when within three feet of Reid, fired, kill¬ 
ing him instantly. The baron was carried to the house 
of a citizen near by, and tenderly nursed by a lady until 
he could be moved to Oatlands, the elegant residence of 
Mr. George Carter, where he still is. 

Mosby’s loss on this occasion was Pendleton and Chap- 
pelier killed, John Munson, Thomas Burke, Harry Sweet¬ 
ing, and the Baron Massow wounded. The Federals had 
fifteen killed, fifteen wounded, seventy taken prisoners, 
and lost one hundred horses, with their equipments. 

This raiding-party was guided by Charlie Binns, a de¬ 
serter from Company “ A” to the Federal camp in Fair¬ 
fax, where he is in great favor with his new friends, or 
rather employers, by whom he is often sent on expedi¬ 
tions to “Mosby’s Confederacy.” Great exertions were 
made to capture him in the pursuit, but, mounted on a 
swift horse, he escaped in the direction of the Potomac. 

At Piedmont, on the 23d, the captured property was 
divided, and the prisoners sent to Richmond. As they 
moved off, Mosby remarked, 

“ Well, I have stopped a few more of you from sucking 
eggs.” 


204 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

MILITARY BOUNDARIES OF MOSBY’S CONFEDERACY.-SUR¬ 

PRISE OF THE 1st NEW YORK CAVALRY. 

Upper Fauquier, April 2d, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —At this time “ Mosby’s Confederacy” is 
compassed about by enemies. On the south it is 
hemmed in by the garrison at Warrenton; on the east 
by the numerous camps stretching across Fairfax; on the 
north by General Sullivan’s command at Harper’s Fer¬ 
ry; and on the west by the forces always swarming in 
the Valley. It would seem as though he must be crush¬ 
ed by these opposing bodies, as it were between huge 
icebergs; yet does this remarkable hero maintain an un¬ 
daunted front. Not only does he hold his ground, but, 
as we have already seen, has driven off two invading 
forces, and destroyed another, and is still, with his in¬ 
domitable Rangers, ever hovering about the hostile 
camps with which he is begirt. General Crawford, who 
commands a detachment of cavalry stationed at Bristoe 
for the protection of that section of the Orange and 
Alexandria Railroad, had been sending daily a patrol to 
Greenwich, varying in strength from fifty to a hundred 
men. Lieutenant Richards, with a party, had, without 
success, attempted its capture, and Mosby now determ¬ 
ined to try it. With forty men, he stationed himself in 
ambush on the road from Bristoe Station to Greenwich. 
Leaving the men in charge of Lieutenant Hunter, he pro¬ 
ceeded, in company with Lieutenant Chapman, to a hill 
from which he could see the patrol approaching. Hav¬ 
ing rejoined Hunter, he waited until it passed the am- 


Military Boundaries of Moshjs Confederacy. 205 

buscade, and then charged its rear. The Yankees scat¬ 
tered through the pines, and in this way escaped with 
only nine prisoners and horses. 

The day after the little affair at Greenwich which I 
have just related, Lieutenant Richards obtained permis¬ 
sion trom Mosby to take a party of forty-five men and 
go on an expedition to the Valley. He had been inform¬ 
ed by John Chew, a member of Chew’s Battery, of the 
exposed position of a Federal picket-post near his fa¬ 
ther’s house on the road leading from Cabletown to 
Charlestown. The picket consisted of two companies of 
the 1st New York Veterans, commanded by Lieutenant 
Bryandt, and was stationed in a skirt of wood bordering 
the road. About sunset Richards crossed the Shenan¬ 
doah, and at midnight arrived at Cabletown, two miles 
beyond which place he halted his command, and, accom¬ 
panied by Chew as a guide, made a visit to the Federal 
camp. Finding every thing quiet, he returned for his 
men, and by a circuitous march approached the picket- 
post about daylight from the direction of Charlestown. 
This enabled him to impose his command upon the sen¬ 
tinel as the relief, and thus, without exciting alarm, enter¬ 
ed the camp, which was found in profound repose. But 
one man was astir, and he, poor fellow, was killed by the 
signal-shot from Richards as he was kindling a fire from 
the embers of the preceding night. The surprise was 
complete, and the Rangers met with no resistance until 
the return of a scouting-party of twenty men, who came 
gallantly charging up while the intruders were in the 
camp, but were soon driven off. 

With twenty-five horses and as many prisoners, among 
whom was Lieutenant Bryandt, Richards left the camp 
at a gallop, for he feared pursuit from Charlestown. 

On the return march, one of the most gallant fights of 
the war was made by six of Richards’s men, Robert 


206 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Walker, Fount Beattie, Dr. Sowers, Bucker, John Hearn, 
and Ben Syd Edmonds. They had lingered at Cable- 
town, and were there overtaken by Major Sullivan, who 
had come in pursuit of Richards from Charlestown with 
a party of thirty cavalry. There was no commissioned 
officer among them, but, at the invitation of one of their 
number, the heroic little band faced about and charged 
back on their assailants, killing a lieutenant and wound¬ 
ing a captain. This checked the enemy’s advance, when 
the Rangers again renewed the charge, and this time 
routed their pursuers, killing Major Sullivan and two 
others. With six prisoners and as many horses, they 
then pressed forward, and rejoined the column before it 
recrossed the Shenandoah. But I must not omit, in this 
narration, the part borne by Willie Martin, one of the 
bravest of Mosby’s men. He was captured before his 
comrades were overtaken, and thus took no part in the 
fight; but, as soon as the rout began, he wrested the car¬ 
bine from his guard, and, seizing it by the muzzle, stood 
in the road, and with the butt end of it fought the fugi¬ 
tives as they fled by him. 

Lieutenant Bryandt wore, when he was captured, a 
sword which had been presented to him by his company. 
It was incased in a silver scabbard, on which was in¬ 
scribed, “Presented to 1st Lieut. Bryandt as a mark of 
esteem, by Co. L, 1st New York Veterans.” He pleaded 
hard to retain the costly present, but was told that Mos¬ 
by’s men never returned captured arms. It now hangs 
at the gallant Mosby’s side, but with a new inscription: 
“Captured March 9th, 1864, and presented to Lieut. Col. 
John Singleton Mosby, by Lieut. A. E. Richards.” 

About the middle of March Mosby captured a picket 
of fourteen men at Germantown, which had been thrown 
out by the garrison at Fairfax Court-house. A few hours 
later, a hundred cavalry were on his track, inquiring at 


Military Boundaries of Mosbfs Confederacy . 207 


every house if Mosby had passed. They were informed 
that he had returned to Fauquier, in consequence of 
which they retraced their steps, determined to be more 
vigilant in future. 

About this time Captain William H. Chapman was 
married to Miss Jeffries, of Fauquier, and was indulged 
with a furlough of thirty days. Lieutenant Richards, 
being left in command of Company C, again looked to 
the Valley as a theatre for activity. Taking with him 
ten men, he set forth for the purpose of attacking the 
pickets near Charlestown, but found upon his arrival that 
they had been withdrawn to Halltown. Proceeding to 
that vicinity on the 20th, he was informed that both cav¬ 
alry and infantry had, during the afternoon, been ordered 
to retire within the fortifications at Harper’s Ferry, but 
that a sutler, whose goods had been stored in a temporary 
building, had been allowed to remain outside for the pur¬ 
pose of packing his wares, upon condition that he would 
move in during the night. 

Richards determined to make the sutler a visit before 
he moved, and about one o’clock at night called at his 
establishment. He was promptly answered by two men 
at the door, from one of whom he demanded, in a tone 
of authority, 

“ Why, sir, didn’t you move into the Ferry this even¬ 
ing, as you were ordered ?” 

“ It was late before we finished packing,” replied the 
merchant, in a humble voice, “ so I concluded to wait till 
morning.” 

“That will never do,” said Richards. “The Rebels 
were in Charlestown several hours ago, and will have your 
goods before morning.” 

“Never!” replied the sutler, with a tragic air. “Nev¬ 
er ! With the aid of camphene, I will, in case of emer¬ 
gency, lay my whole establishment in ashes.” 


208 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

Richards, as if highly pleased with this sentiment, vol¬ 
unteered to assist in the removal of the goods, while the 
sutler withdrew to make ready his wagons, thinking him¬ 
self the luckiest man in the world to have fallen in with 
so good-natured a fellow. But great was his dismay 
when he returned to the house, for he found that the 
soldiers had left behind the heavy merchandise, and were 
only moving such light articles as could be carried away 
on horseback. The truth at once flashed upon the mer¬ 
chant, and, folding his arms across his breast, he exclaim¬ 
ed, in an imploring voice, 

“ Gentlemen, I know now who you are. Take what¬ 
ever you desire from my store, but, for God’s sake, spare 
my life”—doubtless as sincere a prayer as was ever offer¬ 
ed up. 

Richards then mounted his horse, and stood picket on 
the road leading to Harper’s Ferry, while his merry men, 
with many a word of condolence for the sutler, loaded 
their horses from the contents of his booth. 

This brings my record to the end of March, for three 
months previous to which the weather was so stormy and 
inclement, and the roads so deep, that our leader was com¬ 
pelled to operate only with small parties, who could be 
accommodated at the houses of citizens. Of their opera¬ 
tions I have only received the meagre account which I 
have given you; but Mosby, in his report to Stuart, which 
I have seen, states that during this period he has captured 
an average of one hundred and fifty prisoners and horses a 
month. My own attention has been somewhat engaged 
in establishing a temporary abode on the Blue Ridge 
Mountains, about midway between Markham and Paris. 
I have selected this location, first, because it is convenient 
to the Shenandoah Valley, henceforth to be with us a 
scene of great activity, and, secondly, because it is so se¬ 
questered as not to be exposed to the incursions of raid¬ 
ing-parties. 



Freedom of the Ballot . 


209 


CHAPTER XXVII. 

FREEDOM OF THE BxVLLOT.—SCOUTING FOR INFORMATION. 

Upper Fauquier, May 8th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —On the 1st of April the battalion was 
ordered to rendezvous at Paris, for the purpose of organ¬ 
izing Company “D.” Many murmurs had been heard at 
the arbitrary manner in which Mosby had conducted the 
previous elections, and a formidable opposition had been 
silently formed. But he met the issue in a prompt and 
characteristic manner. As soon as the men who were 
to form the new company were drawn up in line, the 
names of a list of candidates were read aloud by the 
officer appointed by Mosby to superintend the election. 
During the pause which ensued Mosby stepped in front 
of the electors, and very quietly informed them that any 
one not willing to ratify by his votes the nominations 
which had been made was at liberty to leave the ranks, 
and would, without delay, be sent to the regular service. 
This alternative no man was ready to adopt, for the reg¬ 
ular service is regarded by the Rangers as Mosby’s Botany 
Bay. So the nominations were all confirmed. This was 
a crisis, and through it the command passed safely. All 
felt it, and Mosby is now more firmly seated than ever in 
the dictatorship he has assumed over his men. This com¬ 
bination was the first, and will probably be the last ever 
formed against his authority. 

R. P. Mountjoy was elected captain; Alfred Glasscock, 
first lieutenant; Charles E. Grogan, second lieutenant; 
William Trunnel, junior second lieutenant. 

O 




210 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 



Captain Mountjoy is by birtli a Mississippian, and at 
the beginning of the war entered the Provisional Army 
of the South as a private in one of the infantry regiments 
contributed by his native state." At an early period of 
its formation he obtained a transfer to the Partisan Bat¬ 
talion, and by the gallantry of his bearing soon attracted 
the general attention. At Ewell’s Chapel, as I have men¬ 
tioned, he was wounded while pressing forward in the 
lead, and since that time has been a prominent actor in 
other collisions. 

Lieutenant Glasscock, of Fauquier, at the breaking out 
of the war was a private in Captain Turner Ashby’s 
cavalry company, in which he rose to the rank of lieuten¬ 
ant, an office from which he was afterward ejected when 
the Confederate Congress reorganized the army by ex¬ 
changing the old principle of authority for the new prin¬ 
ciple of popularity. This loss of rank proved in the end 
to be a benefit, for it enabled Glasscock to enter the Par- 




Freedom of the Ballot . 211 

tisan service, for whjcli lie has proved himself to be so 
well fitted. 

Lieutenants Grogan and Trunnel are both from Mary¬ 
land. The former served for a time on General Trimble’s 
staff, and with him was captured at Gettysburg, and con¬ 
fined on Johnson’s Island. From that dreary prison he 
made his escape, under circumstances of extraordinary 
peril, and immediately afterward joined the battalion. 
Lieutenant Trunnel was, it is needless to say, a good 
soldier, and was among the first of the bold spirits who 
were attracted to the Partisan banner when unfurled by 
Mosby. He stood high with his commander, and his 
promotion had been postponed in consequence of a cap¬ 
tivity from which he had but recently been liberated. 

This company was formed almost entirely of young 
gentlemen from Maryland, who have cast their lot with 
the South in this great trial of arms. Its members, as 
conspicuous for gallantry in the parlor as they undoubt¬ 
edly are in the field, have won for it from the ladies the 
endearing name of “ Company Darling.” 

At the same time another of “ Mosby’s elections,” as 
such occasions are jocularly called in the battalion, was 
held, to supply the vacancy produced by the death of 
Lieutenant Turner. Lieutenant Hunter having been pro¬ 
moted to the vacant rank, Lieutenant Joe Nelson to the 
position which Hunter had filled, Harry Hatcher, from 
the 7th Virginia Cavalry, was “elected” to succeed Nel¬ 
son. 

Company “ D” was but just organized when it was 
called upon to choose again a junior second lieutenant, 
for Trunnell, before his promotion could be communi¬ 
cated to him, was killed while scouting in the Valley. 
With Boyle, of the 12tli Virginia Cavalry, he had at¬ 
tempted to capture a party of Itankees who were con¬ 
cealed in a house near Martinsburg; but, as the soldiers 


212 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

approached, they were fired upon and killed by those 
within the house. 

David Briscoe, of Baltimore, was elected to succeed 
Trunnell. 

On the 8th of April Mosby started from Middleburg, 
with twenty-five men of Company “ A,” under command 
of Lieutenant Hunter, to attack a picket-post, guarded by 
a company of cavalry, at Hunter’s Mill, on the road from 
Silent Hill to Fairfax Court-house. On a previous scout 
he had visited this camp, had seen the corporal of the 
guard station the vedettes, and had heard him take leave 
of them with the injunction, “ Now don’t let old Mosby 
get you.” His plans were therefore matured; so, march¬ 
ing to a point distant a quarter of a mile from the mill, 
he dismounted his men, and, leaving two of them in 
charge of the horses, with the rest charged the camp with 
a yell. Twelve prisoners and twenty horses were se¬ 
cured, but many of the fugitives escaped, sheltered by the 
darkness, and carried the news of the disaster to the bri¬ 
gade at Vienna, two and a half miles distant, to which 
their regiment was attached. 

As soon as the capture was made, Mosby ordered Lieu¬ 
tenant Hunter to take the command back to Fauquier 
by the route which passes Gum Spring and Mat Lee’s, 
while he, with Bush Underwood, went, at the request of 
General Stuart, in search of information, which he expect¬ 
ed to obtain from a citizen living near the Orange and 
Alexandria Railroad, who had just been to Washington. 

Lieutenant Hunter, instead of pursuing the route by 
Gum Spring, for some reason struck across to Chantilly, 
and from thence proceeded up the Little River Turnpike. 
Colonel Lowell, in the mean time, who was in command 
at Vienna, had, with a detail of cavalry from the Califor¬ 
nia Battalion (which the Rangers think the most formi¬ 
dable of their opponents), started in pursuit of the assail- 


213 


Freedom of the Ballot. 

ants. At the Double Toll-gate he came in sight of the 
stragglers from Hunter’s command, and the pursuit was 
pressed with new vigor. Some of the stragglers who had 
lingered on the road to get breakfast harassed the march 
of the Californians by firing upon them, then plunging 
into the pines which skirted the road. At Aldie, in con¬ 
sequence of the freshness of Lowell’s horses, the Parti¬ 
sans were overtaken. Hunter at once sent forward the 
prisoners in charge of five men, while he and Lieutenant 
Nelson, with the remaining ten of the command, faced 
about and charged their pursuers. The combat for a 
short time was severe, but the overwhelming numbers 
of the enemy obtained the victory. Hunter was taken 
prisoner, and Nelson severely wounded; but he managed, 
in spite of it, with nine men, to make his escape, the pur¬ 
suit being abandoned at this point. 

After the death of Captain Smith, President Davis, at 
the recommendation of Colonel Mosby, appointed Lieu¬ 
tenant A. E. Richards to fill the vacant office, which pro¬ 
motion was announced to the battalion in the following 
order: 

“ Head-quarters, 43d Va. P. R. Battalion, > 
April 26th, 1864. $ 

“ Special Order , No. —. 

“ First Lieutenant Adolphus E. Richards, Company ‘ C,’ having 
been promoted by his excellency, the President, to the captaincy of 
Company ‘B’ for gallantry and skill displayed in action, will be 

respected and obeyed accordingly. 

“ J. S. Mosby, Lieutenant Colonel Commanding.” 

The next day, Captain Richards, with thirty-five men, 
and Henry Heaton for a guide, started on a foraging ex¬ 
pedition to Loudoun. At Hillsboro, where they arrived 
about ten o’clock at night, he was informed that Captain 
Keys, with forty-five men, had passed through the village 
about sunset, and had gone in the direction of Wheat- 
land. This company of cavalry was recruited in Lou- 


214 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

doun County for tlie Federal service, and is called the 
“ Loudoun Rangers”—a name which they richly deserve, 
for they have plundered half of the poultry-yards, milk- 
houses, and stables in the county. 

Richards determined to abandon the object for which 
he had come, and turn his attention to Captain Keys. In 
the morning, he was informed by a citizen that Keys was 
in Waterford, quartered in an old church, where he had 
passed the night. Falling upon a picket of six men, 
which had been thrown forward by the commander at 
that place, Richards drove them back upon the reserve, 
hoping to draw them out into the open field; but his ef¬ 
fort was not successful; for Captain Keys, as soon as ap¬ 
prised of the danger, put it to the vote whether they 
should fight or run, adding,at the same time, “Boys, they 
greatly outnumber us”—an application of the Democratic 
principle to the army which had not occurred even to the 
sages at Richmond. As Richards came thundering into 
the village, the gallant company, with a unanimous voice, 
shouted that the interests of the public service demanded 
an immediate retreat, and Captain Keys left Waterford at 
a charge, taking a circuitous route to the Point of Rocks. 
Mounted on the picked horses of Loudoun and the ad¬ 
joining counties, the “ Loudoun Rangers” fled like the 
Arabs of the desert, pursued by the Partisans for five 
miles. Richards’s horse at this point fell from exhaustion, 
and thus ended the chase, Keys having lost in his rapid 
career twelve prisoners, three of whom were wounded, 
and fifteen horses, while his pursuers had sustained no 
injury at all. 

Fisher’s Hill is an abrupt eminence that lies across the 
track of the Valley Turnpike, two miles beyond Strasburg. 
At its base flows the north branch of the Shenandoah, 
the banks of which are so steep as to render it impassa¬ 
ble except by means of the bridge here thrown across it. 




215 


Freedom of the Bcdlot. 

The road is dug out of the hill, and gradually winds 
around its western face until it reaches the summit, where 
it resumes its original direction. This hill was the cul¬ 
minating point of a raid that Captain William Chapman 
started upon on the 5th of May from Piedmont. With 
twenty men, lie marched to a point between Strasburg 
and Middletown, for the purpose of attacking a supply- 
train, which passed from Winchester to General Hunter’s 
camp at Newmarket. Posting two of his command so 
as to watch the road in the direction of Winchester, he 
and Willie Gibson stationed themselves so as to be on 
the look-out toward Strasburg. Late in the day, four 
cavalrymen, under command of a lieutenant, approached 
from the direction of Strasburg. Chapman at first at¬ 
tempted to deceive them as to his true character, but, fail¬ 
ing in this, he and his companion fell back before them 
until they reached their comrades on the road, about a 
quarter of a mile distant. The two parties, then being 
equal in strength, rushed upon each other, and a fight en¬ 
sued, which resulted in the capture of the five Yankees. 
Chapman at once sent the prisoners under guard across 
the river, and the command then bivouacked for the night. 
Early the next morning he resumed his march on the 
turnpike, and very soon a supply-train approached from 
the direction of Winchester, guarded by three hundred 
infantry and eighty cavalry. With his men disguised by 
the oil-cloths which they wore as a protection from the 
rain, he followed in its rear until the wagons were as¬ 
cending Fisher’s Hill, with the guard strung all along the 
road winding up its side. In this situation of affairs, the 
bridge blocked up with wagons, and the guard unable to 
come to the rescue, Chapman charged the rear-guard. 
Twelve were killed and wounded, nineteen made prison¬ 
ers, and twenty-three horses secured. With these cap¬ 
tures, Chapman, with all expedition, retraced his steps, 


216 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

and was saved from pursuit by a lady, who assured the 
Federals there was no chance of overtaking him. The 
next day the prisoners were turned over to the provost- 
marshal at Luray, and the Rangers disbanded, to return 
to Fauquier by routes of their own selection. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 

CAPTURE OF THE PICKET AT GUARD HILL.-DESTROYING 

THE RAILROADS IN GRANT’S REAR. 

Upper Fauquier, May 15tli, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— There is a low range, called the Pine 
Hills, which extends from the Xorth Branch of the Shen¬ 
andoah, in Warren County, through Clarke and Fred¬ 
erick, and terminates in the counties of Berkeley and Jef¬ 
ferson. Guard Hill is an elevated point of this range, 
and rises abruptly where Crooked Run crosses the turn¬ 
pike leading from Winchester through Cedarville to 
Front Royal. Its name is said to be derived from its 
having been the site of a fort constructed by the early 
European settlers in the vicinity, to defend themselves 
from the Indians. On this eminence a detachment of 
Federal cavalry was encamped, which Mosby proposed 
to attack, and, with this object in view, left Paris on the 
7th of May, with a hundred men. Upon arriving at the 
Shenandoah, it was found to be so swollen by recent 
rains as to render fording impossible, in consequence of 
which the command under Richards was ordered back to 
Mount Carmel Church, where it bivouacked for the night, 
while Mosby, with six men, crossed the river in a boat, 
and proceeded to the neighborhood of Winchester on a 
scout. 

The next morning Richards brought the command 





217 


Capture of the Picket at Guard Hill. 

over tlie river in boats, their horses being driven after 
them. This operation was tedious, and before it was 
over a courier arrived from Mosby, with instructions to * 
Richards to move to the vicinity of Cedarville, two or 
three miles from Guard Hill. At eight o’clock at night 
Mosby joined the command at the designated place, and 
was informed by M‘Kay, a resident of that neighborhood 
and one of his men, that the Federals had that day been 
re-enforced, and that their number was not less than two 
hundred men. 

“ Excellent!” replied he; “ then each of us will get two 
horses apiece.” 

The command was then conducted around Cedarville 
to the residence of Dr. Melton, who lives near the base 
of the Pine Hills. Here Mosby left it, and, with Harry 
Shaw and four others, approached Cedarville, and on the 
turnpike captured a party of Federal cavalry, upon whom 
he imposed himself for a patrol from Guard Hill. At 
the village he made other captures, and then rejoined the 
command, after an absence of several hours. Unable to 
gain any satisfactory information from his prisoners, 
Mosby marched the command by a country road which 
runs along the crest of the Pine Hills to Guard Hill, so 
as to enable him to approach the cavalry camp from the 
rear. When within half a mile of it the men were halt¬ 
ed, and Mosby, accompanied by Sam Chapman, proceeded 
on foot to reconnoitre the enemy’s position. But a severe 
cough which at this time harassed him soon compelled 
him to return, and Lieut. Nelson was sent in his stead. 
Chapman, who knew the ground thoroughly, reported the 
encampment to be situated on the road that passes along 
the back-bone of Guard Hill, which is thickly covered 
with wood. Upon the receipt of this information, Mos¬ 
by ordered him to proceed to the camp, with fifteen dis¬ 
mounted sharp-shooters, while Richards, with Company 


218 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

“ B,” was directed to support him. The rest of the com¬ 
mand followed under Mosby, first at a trot, then at a 
gallop, and finally, when a volley from Chapman was 
heard, in a headlong charge upon the enemy, dispersing 
them in every direction, wounding three, and taking sev¬ 
enteen prisoners. To enable you to understand what 
follows, I must state that the Yankees were divided into 
two parties, one being camped, as already described, on 
the crest of the hill, while the other lay around Stenson’s 
house, which is situated at its base, and commands an 
extensive view of the river flat which here separates the 
North Branch of the Shenandoah from the highlands. 
Mosby was ignorant of this division, and was about mov¬ 
ing off, when Capt. Auer, of the 15th New York Cavalry, 
rode up from the camp near Stenson’s house to inquire 
into the cause of the disturbance, which he supposed to 
be a repetition of some rioting which had occurred the 
previous night. His question was addressed to Sam 
Chapman, who responded by demanding his arms, and 
then turning him over to the custody of Harry Shaw, to 
be escorted to Fauquier. 

At daybreak the homeward march was begun, which 
had not proceeded more than four miles, when, for the 
purpose of expediting the passage of the river, the com¬ 
mand and captures were divided into two equal parts, 
one of which was intrusted to Mountjoy, to cross at 
Howellsville, the other to Captain Bichards, to cross at 
Berry’s Ferry, while Mosby, with a small party, lingered 
in the rear to watch the movements of the enemy. 

The capture of Captain Auer was the means of exjflain- 
ing a mysterious circumstance which had occurred in the 
fight at Blakeley school-house. One of the Rangers had 
killed a horse which was ridden by an officer whose uni¬ 
form was plainly seen; but, on going to the spot, a private 
was found standing by the dead animal. On the march 


219 


Capture of the Picket at Guard Hill. 

from Guard Hill, Captain Auer stated to Harry Shaw that 
he was the officer whose horse had been shot on that oc¬ 
casion, and that he had been saved from capture by the 
generosity of one of his men, who had given him his horse, 
and remained behind to be taken prisoner in his stead. 

As the command was charging into the Yankee camp, 
Phil Lee, of Fairfax, bethought him of a stratagem which 
he straightway put into execution. He raised a mighty 
shout of “ Imboden, Imboden is upon you,” by which war- 
cry Phil hoped to spread consternation into the ranks of 
the enemy. The next day, at the division of the horses, 
seventy in number, Mosby remarked to the Ranger, in 
allusion to this circumstance, that, like Peter, he had de¬ 
nied his master, and that, in justice, he ought to be sent 
to finish the campaign with General Imboden. 

About this time the Federal army was passing on to¬ 
ward Staunton under General Hunter, who had an ar¬ 
rangement for communicating with his rear by couriers, 
which he maintained until he reached that place. Mosby 
sent out small parties to harass his march, one of which, 
consisting of thirteen men under Captain Richards, entered 
Newtown, and so quietly captured and sent off a party 
of Yankees that the citizens knew nothing of the occur¬ 
rence. Richards then marched toward Winchester, having 
heard that one of Hunter’s couriers, whom he wished to 
capture, would pass along that section of the turnpike 
about nightfall, with an escort of twenty-four men. On 
his march he soon heard the sound of approaching hoofs, 
and at the distance of thirty paces an officer in command 
of a detachment of cavalry ordered him to halt, and de¬ 
manded, 

“ Who are you V 

“ First New York Cavalry,” was the reply. 

“All right” responded the Yankee; “we are some of 
the 21st boys, but at first I thought you were Johnnies.” 


220 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

In the mean time the two parties drew near to each 
other, Richards continuing the conversation, and in the 
course of it was informed that a supply-train, with a 
large escort, was only a few hundred yards behind. 

During this time the Partisans had ranged themselves 
along the column of the enemy, and were engaged in dis¬ 
arming them as quietly as possible, when a man refused 
to surrender and was instantly shot. Secrecy, of course, 
could no longer be observed, and pistols were freely used. 
But the Federals soon retreated to their wagon-train, leav¬ 
ing ten on the ground killed and wounded. The escort 
pressed forward in pursuit of the attacking party, but 
Richards and his men were quickly lost to view in an 
adjoining wood. 

When Mosby returned from Guard Hill he found at 
his head-quarters a communication from General Stuart, 
stating that Grant, who was now in command of the Army 
of the Potomac, was in motion. The indefatigable Parti¬ 
san, although he had been on duty for two days and two 
nights, issued orders for the meeting of the battalion at 
Rectortown, after a rest of two days, and then, mounting 
a fresh horse, proceeded to Warrenton, which had been 
recently evacuated by the Yankees, in search of additional 
information. Upon his arrival he found several of his 
men, and among them Captain Mountjoy, attending a 
dancing party. Mosby at once started him with a small 
party upon a scout to Germana Ford, with orders to re¬ 
port to him the next morning at Brandy Station, while 
he indulged in a few hours’ rest before repairing to the 
rendezvous. Having received Mountjoy’s report the next 
day, he met the battalion at Rectortown. 

Parties under Richards and Chapman were first detailed 
to operate during his absence at different points in the 
Valley, and then, with a command of sixty men, Mosby 
set forth to cross the Rappahannock at the United States 


DESTROYING THE RAILROAD IN GRANT’S 



































































































































































































































































































































222 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Ford, and assail tlie rear of Grant’s army, at that time 
fighting in the Wilderness, having the year before started 
to perform the same service for Hooker, when he was 
stopped by the reverse at Warrenton Junction. 

When the command passed near Bealton, Glasscock, 
with a detail of ten men, was left to tear up the rails, 
and to burn several railroad bridges and store-houses, for 
the road and some buildings were still used by Grant as 
his principal line of supply and depots. When Mosby 
reached the river, he found the ford guarded, Grant be¬ 
ing at Chancellorsville; but, supposing that the Federal 
general must maintain a line of communication through 
Fredericksburg to the Potomac, he determined to push 
on, and assail him in that quarter. Passing through Fal¬ 
mouth that night, he marched into King George County, 
and camped near the house of a citizen, who fed both 
men and horses abundantly. The next morning, taking 
with him Willie Martin and Bowie, he made a recon- 
noissance in the vicinity of Belle Plain, and on the route 
fell in with a body of Federal cavalry, by whom they 
were closely pursued. The fruit of this exploration was 
an attack at night on a train of fifty wagons, which was 
passing between Fredericksburg and Belle Plain. 

The command was divided into two parts, one of which 
was sent, under Lieut. Grogan, to capture and turn off 
the road the rear half of the train, while the other, under 
command of Ben Palmer, of Richmond, was sent to take 
charge of the wagons in front—a service which was hand¬ 
somely performed. Mosby, with Fount Beattie, was in 
the road, waiting for Grogan to perform the allotted 
duty, when a surgeon and wagon-master rode up to look 
after the missing wagons. Being informed that they 
were prisoners in the hands of the guerrillas, they mani¬ 
fested both surprise and alarm, and the doctor at once 
handed out his pocket-pistol, but was told that he might 


223 


Capture of the Picket at Guard Hill. 

keep Iris pistol, but must give up bis horse. Encumbered 
with prisoners and horses, the command then returned to 
Fauquier. 

When Mosby, in a few days, returned to this line of 
communication, he found that a brigade of cavalry had 
been sent from the front to guard it, in addition to the 
line of infantry posted along the road. No more cap¬ 
tures were now possible with his small command, but 
his object had been attained, for General Grant had been 
compelled to detach from his aggressive force a consider¬ 
able body of troops to protect his rear. 

I will now give an account of the operations of the 
parties intrusted to Capt. Richards and Lieut. Sam Chap¬ 
man, to operate in the Valley during Mosby’s absence. 

At Paris the two commands, numbering twenty-five 
men each, met, and the officers agreec] to cross the river 
together, and to separate on the farther side, if it should 
be found expedient. As the combined party was about 
to take up the line of march, Capt. Chapman, who, with 
a few men, had been scouting in the Valley, made his ai> 
pearance, and was invited to join the expedition.. As 
soon as it crossed the river, the command was left in a 
wood near Berry’s Ferry, and Richards, taking with him 
John Russell, proceeded to Millwood, to find out the 
strength of a party of Federal cavalry reported to be 
there. But he found they had left, and, without delay, 
endeavored to rejoin Chapman; but Chapman could no¬ 
where be found; so Richards and Russell went in search 
of him to the Valley Turnpike on which it had been pro¬ 
posed to operate. Here they saw unguarded trains pass¬ 
ing, for General Hunter relied upon the cavalry at Berry- 
ville and Charlestown for the protection of his transport¬ 
ation from Martinsburg to Winchester. But, as they had 
no force at their command, the two Rangers were com¬ 
pelled to recross the Shenandoah. 


224 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Lieut. Chapman, in the mean time, becoming impatient 
at the absence of Richards and Russell, had marched the 
command to Millwood, where he ascertained that the 
Yankees came every day in scouting-parties from Win¬ 
chester to that place. Instead, therefore, of repairing to 
the Valley Turnpike, as Richards supposed he had done, 
he determined to lie in wait for one of these, and accord¬ 
ingly went into camp in a skirt of woods two miles dis¬ 
tant, and in sight of the Winchester Turnpike. The next 
day, about twelve o’clock, a party of twelve Yankee cav¬ 
alry were seen crossing the fields in the direction of Ber- 
ryville, and Capt. Chapman, with a party of about equal 
strength, started in pursuit of them. They had stopped 
to plunder a dairy, and were soon overtaken and charged 
in the rear, with a loss of two killed, five taken prisoners, 
and eight horses. Upon his return, Capt. Chapman rep¬ 
resented to his brother that the party wdiich he had at¬ 
tacked belonged to the 1st New York, which was out on 
a scout, and would, in all probability, be in pursuit of 
him in a few minutes, and urged an immediate retreat. 
The words were scarcely spoken when the regiment ap¬ 
peared. But the advice did not suit the reverend gen¬ 
tleman, who, whether in the regular service or with Mos¬ 
by, had never been known to deny himself the luxury of 
a fight. Instead, therefore, of retreating, he charged the 
advanced guard, drove it back on the regiment, and then, 
with the prisoners and a portion of the command, fell 
back toward Millwood, while his brother, with the rest 
of the men, retired in another direction. 

Lieutenant Chapman, finding himself followed by only 
seven of the enemy, thought that another chance for a 
fight was offered; so he sent off the prisoners, and then, 
with six men, faced about, and ordered a charge upon the 
pursuers. But the order was only partially obeyed; for, 
after firing a few shots,his men rejoined the retreating par- 


225 


Capture of the Picket at Guard Hill. 

ty. But not so Lieutenant Chapman; for, unattended, 
he charged through the seven Federals, who proved to be 
the advance-guard of the regiment, and, drawing up his 
horse on the side of the road, awaited their shots as they 
dashed past him to rejoin their command. In this une¬ 
qual contest three of the Federals were w T ounded, while 
Chapman had his horse killed, but himself escaped un¬ 
hurt. Thus dismounted, he took refuge in a patch of 
briers until the regiment had passed, and then returned 
on foot to Fauquier. Thus ended this series of adven¬ 
tures without the slightest injury to one of Mosby’s 
men. 

The incident which follows represents the anxiety of 
the Federal commanders to capture Mosby, and the dan¬ 
gers by which, in consequence, he is ever beset. Late on 
the 18th of May, 1864, a detachment of several hundred 
cavalry set forth from Vienna for an expedition into Up¬ 
per Fauquier, to effect the capture of the “ guerrilla chief,” 
under the guidance of a man who had recently deserted 
from the battalion, and who sought to recommend him¬ 
self to his associates and employers by this signal service. 
He had often known his former leader to stop at the 
house of Mrs. Bawlings, near Bectortown, and had taken 
up the idea that it was his boarding-house. To this 
point, accordingly, the Yankees were conducted. 

The night was far spent when the party reached the 
neighborhood, and, avoiding Bectortown, where a picket 
was sometimes stationed, they proceeded to a wood about 
two miles distant, and there were halted. About half 
of their number were dismounted, and, under cover of 
night, were conducted across the fields. The dwelling 
was surrounded, the doors burst open, and the search be¬ 
gun before the sleeping inmates had notice of the enemy’s 
presence. Mosby was not there, and the angry and dis¬ 
appointed soldiers were compelled to content themselves 

P 


226 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

with the plunder of the house and the capture of several 
unfortunate Rangers. 

The raiders were then conducted by their guide, who 
sought to win the approbation of his masters by zeal, if 
not the success of the enterprise, to the house of a citizen 
in the vicinity of Mrs. Rawlings’s, where but a few days 
previous the deserter had been entertained by the family. 
Here several additional prisoners were captured; among 
them Richardson, of Baltimore, and the raiding-party hast¬ 
ened to return to their camp by the way of Upperville; 
but their retreat was annoyed and delayed by small par¬ 
ties which had collected, and which hung on their flanks 
and rear. 


CHAPTER XXIX. 

RAIDING IN THE REAR OF GENERAL HUNTER’S ARMY. 

Upper Fauquier, June 17th, 1861. 

Dear Percy,— With one hundred and fifty men, Mos¬ 
by crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains at Manassas Gap, 
for the purpose of operating upon Hunter’s communica¬ 
tions. At Mr. Ashby’s, in Front Royal, where he stopped 
for supper, Chapman introduced to him, as a reliable 
guide for the expedition, Charlie Richardson, with whom 
he had served in the “Warren Rifles.” Cliajnnan and 
Richardson were dispatched the next day to the town of 
Strasburg to collect information, and, on their return, re¬ 
ported that detached parties were passing from time to 
time between Winchester and Hunter’s camp, and also 
that a wagon-train was expected up that day. Mosby, 
with a small party, stationed himself on a wooded bluff 
of Xorth River, from which point the track of the turn¬ 
pike could be seen for the distance of a mile above and 
below the town of Strasburg. A wagon-train, escorted 




Hauling in the rear of Hunter's Army. 227 

by several hundred infantry and thirty cavalry, was soon 
observed descending Fisher’s Hill, but, on account of the 
strength of its escort, it was allowed to pass unmolested 
to Newtown, where it was parked for the night. Early 
the next morning the wagons moved off without the 
guard, wdio remained behind to watch Mosby’s move¬ 
ments, whose presence in the wood had been discovered. 
Seeing their exposed situation, Mosby ordered Lieutenant 
Chapman, with twenty-five men, to move around the 
guard and capture the wagons. Then he, with a few men, 
advanced toward the guard, and, when charged by them, 
retreated past the position occupied by the command in 
charge of Captain Richards, who was ordered, through a 
courier, to interpose his men between the enemy’s infan¬ 
try and cavalry, and thus isolate and destroy the latter. 
But this order was misunderstood, and, instead, Richards 
charged the Yankee cavalry and drove them back upon 
the infantry, who fired a volley at the jmrsuers, which 
killed Emory, and wounded Hines, of Company “ B.” 
Just as the cavalry were put to flight by Richards, Chap¬ 
man, with his party, gained a position on the turnpike, 
where he could easily have captured the wagons, but, 
seeing the escort coming toward him, he charged them 
with great impetuosity, and drove them back again upon 
their infantry support, killing several and wounding three. 
But the wagons, meanwhile, had been suffered to escape, 
which Mosby thought ought not to have been done; but 
between a capture and a fight, how could the reverend 
gentleman hesitate ? 

A few days previous to the affair I have just related a 
train loaded with commissary stores had been captured in 
this vicinity by Major Harry Gilmor, and it had so irri¬ 
tated General Hunter that he had ordered all houses in 
the neighborhood where an attack was made to be burn¬ 
ed. Prompt to obey a command so much to their tastes, 


228 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

the Yankees, while Mosby was engaging them in fiont, 
had burned Sticklers house in the rear, the incendiary be¬ 
ing a Union man from Martinsburg, who, for the sake of 
his principles, had been made a wagon-master in the Unit¬ 
ed States army. He was afterward captured by Chapman, 



GENERAL HUNTER'S HOUSE-BURNERS AT WOBK. 


and, having been identified as the man who urged the 
burning of Stickley^s house, and as having himself applied 
the torch to the barn, and also as having threatened the 
ladies of Newtown to turn the Federal soldiers loose upon 
them in case of farther assaults upon the trains, this son 
of rapine and murder was ordered to be led to the ruins 


























































































229 


Raiding in the rear of Hunted8 Army. 

of White’s house, which had been burned by Hunter’s 
own direction, and there to be shot to death. This pla¬ 
card was left fastened on his back: 

“ Shot for house-burning.” 

Mosby then dispatched a letter to the Federal com¬ 
mander in the Valley, which contained an account of this 
transaction, and a declaration that he would continue to 
have all house-burners executed who might fall into his 
hands. v 

I send you a copy of Hunter’s order, in virtue of which 
these acts of incendiarism were committed, and as an ex¬ 
planation, and, in the opinion of atrocious men, a defense 
of it, an extract from a recent Northern newspaper. They 
are as follows: 

“ You are hereby notified that for every train fired upon, or sol¬ 
dier of the Union wounded or assassinated by bushwhackers in any 
neighborhood within the reach of my cavalry, the houses and other 
property of every secession sympathizer residing within a circuit 
of five miles from the place of outrage shall be destroyed by fire, 
and that for all public property jayhawked or destroyed by these 
marauders, an assessment of five times the value of such property 
will be made upon the secession sympathizers residing within a 
circuit of ten miles around the point at which the offense was com¬ 
mitted. The payment of this assessment will be enforced by 
troops of the department, who will seize and hold in close military 
custody the persons assessed until such payment shall have been 
made. This provision will also be applied to make good from the 
secessionists in every neighborhood five times the amount of any 
loss suffered by loyal citizens of the United States from the action 
of bushwhackers whom you encourage.” 

“ By-the-way, Stanton attributes Siegel’s recent defeat in the 
Valley to the fact that he had to keep half his force in the rear to 
protect it from Mosby’s attacks.” 

With the battalion, Mosby left Paris on tlie morning 
of the 1st of June, for the purpose of capturing a corral 
of horses near Martinsburg. He had obtained from a ne¬ 
gro, whom he had made prisoner, the information which 


230 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

induced him to undertake the capture, but upon his ar¬ 
rival at the expected scene of action he found that it was 
impracticable. He then retired to the Opequon Creek, or 
rather river, at a point near “The Bower,” the elegant and 
hospitable residence of Mr. Dandridge, where he left Rich¬ 
ards, with twenty-five men with orders to capture the ex¬ 
press train on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad the fol¬ 
lowing night, and returned with the rest of the command 
to Fauquier. , 

Richards at once moved to a wood between Smithfield 
and the railroad, where he spent the rest of the day, and 
when night closed in proceeded to execute the orders of 
his chief at a point between Kearneysville and Duffield 
Station. The railroad was closely guarded, in conse¬ 
quence of the capture of an express train which had re¬ 
cently been made by Major Harry Gilmor, of distin¬ 
guished reputation, and camp-fires were visible to the 
raiders on both sides of the road; but, being inexperienced 
in this branch of the Partisan service, Captain Richards 
only tore uj) the track upon which he was told the train 
would pass in moving westward, and then divided his 
command into boarding-parties. Soon the express from 
Baltimore came rushing and hissing along the route, but, 
to the inexpressible mortification of Captain Richards, 
passed safely by on the unobstructed track. The Rangers 
laughed heartily at his discomfiture, and uttered many a 
jest at his expense, for it was then clear enough that Cap¬ 
tain Dolly’s informer had put him on the wrong track. 

On the 8th of June thirty-five picked men met Colonel 
Mosby at Rectortown, for the purpose of accompanying 
him to Alexandria, with the hope of capturing his excel¬ 
lency, Governor Pierpont, in the capital of his imperial 
domain. When they arrived at the Plains, they found a 
company of twelve Yankees who had just been brought 
in as prisoners. Capt. Julian Lee and Stenny Mason had 


231 


Raiding in the rear of Hunted8 Army. 

discovered them as they were passing between Hopewell 
Gap and the Bull Bun Mountain, and, having procured 
the assistance of Bush Underwood and five of his com¬ 
rades, had without difficulty effected their capture. The 
prisoners were sent to Piedmont, and Mosby, with his 
band, proceeded toward Alexandria. 

About the middle of the next day they halted in a 
body of pine until within an hour of sundown, and dur¬ 
ing this interval the dispositions for the night were made. 
Two men had previously been sent off to procure a cov¬ 
ered wagon, and have it in readiness at a designated point 
on the Telegraph Boad, near Alexandria. Mosby, with 
his followers, was then to drive to the picket post, and, 
claiming admittance for a market-wagon, was to secure 
the picket, thus thrown off their guard. The way to the 
town being opened, the command, divided into three de¬ 
tachments, was to march in. The first, under Mosby, 
was to look after the governor; the second, with Captain 
Bichards at its head, was to pay its respects to General 
Slough, who commanded the department ; while the third, 
directed by the Beverend Sam Chapman, was to provide, 
from the government stables, horses for the use of the 
prisoners, and perhaps some for general distribution. 

But the best conceived plans sometimes miscarry, and 
such was the fate of the one which I have just detailed. 
The guide lost his way in coming to the rendezvous, and, 
in consequence, it was too late to attempt the capture 
that night, for, if successfully accomplished, several hours 
of darkness would still be necessary to enable Mosby to 
elude the pursuit which would certainly be made. But 
this mishap only made him determine to postpone the 
hazardous adventure till the following night, and during 
the next day the command remained concealed in the 
wood, and were fed by friendly citizens. The hours were 
tedious, and the men began to dispose of the captured 


232 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

property in anticipation. Bush Underwood and another 
had a high dispute as to who should have the governor’s 
watch, some selected his horse, some his boots, and some 
his coat; but George Turberville was moderate enough 
to say that he would be satisfied with his excellency’s 
greenbacks. 

But, in the mean while, the plot had been discovered, 
and Mosby, being informed by a citizen of the prepara¬ 
tions which had been made to receive him, prudently de¬ 
termined to return to his own confederacy. But for an 
unpropitious fortune, Governor Pierpont and General 
Slough would have had a merry gallop that starry night 
with Mosby and his 'men. 

Three days later, the battalion, numbering two hund¬ 
red and fifty men, with a twelve-pound howitzer in charge 
of Lieutenant Chapman, left Bectortown, under command 
of Colonel Mosby, for the purpose of attempting the cap¬ 
ture of a wagon-train employed in hauling wood at 
Springfield Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Bail- 
road ; but, upon inspecting the position, he found the 
infantry guard too strong to make the effort advisable, 
and the command was ordered back to Union Mills. 
From that point two scoutingqmrties, one under Walter 
Whaley, the other under Ned Thompson, w T ere sent out 
to collect information from Fairfax Court - house, Anan- 
dale, and Centreville. Mosby did not await them return, 
but early the next morning marched the command to¬ 
ward Centreville, and on his route he was met by Whaley 
with the information that forty Yankees were at that 
place. Taking with him the squadron comjDosed of Com¬ 
panies “ A” and “ B,” he advanced upon the town, but 
found that the Federals had, a few minutes before, taken 
their departure. Company “A,” under Lieutenant Nel¬ 
son, was at once ordered to strike across the country and 
intercept their march, while Mosby, with Company B, 


233 


The first Calico Raid. 

under Captain Richards, followed their trail. The Yan¬ 
kees were overtaken near Maclien’s barn, where they had 
dismounted, and were found, some of them up the cherry- 
trees, some asleep, and others engaged in feeding their 
horses. Mosby, who, with six men, was in advance of 
Company “ B,” charged and routed them, inflicting a loss 
of four wounded, thirty-two made prisoners, and thirty- 
six horses, Captain Richards’s command, although close 
upon his heels, finding nothing to do but secure the cap¬ 
tures. A courier was then dispatched to inform Lieuten¬ 
ant Nelson that the work had been accomplished, and to 
order him to halt at the Double Toll-gate until rejoined 
by the command. From that point Mosby proceeded to 
Hooper’s shop, where the captured property was divided 
and the battalion disbanded. 


CHAPTER XXX. 

THE FIRST CALICO EAID. 

Upper Fauquier, July 1st, 1863. 

Dear Percy, —On the 19th of June, Colonel Mosby 
left Upperville in command of the battalion, and took 
with him a piece of artillery, intending the next day to 
capture the passenger train on the Baltimore and Ohio 
railroad. Soon leaving the rest of the command to fol¬ 
low, under Captain Chapman, he took with him Compa¬ 
ny “ A,” and pressed forward several miles in advance, 
ancf by night reached the vicinity of Charlestown, whith¬ 
er Lieutenant Russell had been sent for the purpose of 
ascertaining the strength and position ot the enemy in 
that vicinity. He reported General Mulligan at Smith- 
field, seven miles distant to the left, with several thousand 
troops, consisting of infantry, artillery, and cavalry; and 



234 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Averill, only five miles farther, at Bunker Hill, with his 
entire cavalry command. On the right, at Harper’s Fer¬ 
ry, eight miles distant from Charlestown, but only six 
from Duffield Station, the proposed point of attack on the 
railroad, he reported General Max Weber, with over a 
thousand men, belonging likewise to the three branches 
of the service. 

At ten o’clock on the morning of the 20th, Captain 
Chapman, who had camped the previous night at Cable- 
town, united with Mosby on the Berryville Turnpike, 
about one mile from Charlestown. After waiting for the 
return of a lady from Duffield Station, from w r hom he 
gained accurate and reliable information of the enemy’s 
force at that point, Mosby stationed Lieutenant Nelson, 
with Company “ A,” numbering twenty-two men, on the 
Harper’s Ferry Turnpike, with instructions to fight any 
force arriving from that direction which did not twice ex¬ 
ceed his own. Then, having learned from a time-table 
which he had procured that the train was due at Duffield 
Station at one o’clock P.M., at half past eleven he set out 
with the command for that point, distant five miles. In 
order to conceal the battalion from the signal posts at 
Harper’s Ferry, Mosby, instead of passing through Charles¬ 
town, made a detour into the country, but it came, never¬ 
theless, in full view of the Maryland Heights before it had 
advanced a mile. About this time we passed the home 
of Willie Gibson, our guide, a boy only fifteen years of 
age. He had joined Mosby without the consent of his par¬ 
ents, and a messenger was sent by his mother to meet 
him, and demand his return. But the major, as he is 
called in the battalion, refused to comply with the sum¬ 
mons, saying, “ Tell her the success of the expedition de¬ 
pends upon my presence.” When within a mile of the 
station four infantry-men were taken prisoners, who in¬ 
formed Mosby that the train from Baltimore had just 


235 


The first Calico Raid. 

passed, but that the one going eastward was expected in 
about fifteen minutes. In addition, be learned from them 
that tbe station was garrisoned by sixty-five men, posted 
in a -stockade, commanded by a lieutenant. Surrounded 
on all sides by overwhelming numbers, it was clearly our 
leader’s policy to capture the place without firing a gun, 
in order to accomplish which, the command was secreted 
in a wood, and two parties dispatched, one under lieuten¬ 
ant Wren, to secure a party of Yankees guarding a flag 
on the railroad, and cut the telegraph wires to prevent 
communication with the neighboring camps, and another 
to the eastward for a similar purpose. These objects ac¬ 
complished, Captain Richards was ordered to go forward, 
under a flag of truce, and demand the unconditional sur¬ 
render of the post and the troops by which it was gar¬ 
risoned ; Mosby adding, as he was about to leave, “ In¬ 
form the officer in command by whom and with what 
force he is attacked.” As he galloped off, accompanied 
by Walter Whaley, Mosby posted the command in line 
of battle on an eminence a quarter of a mile from the 
stockade, and ordered the howitzer to be trained on it. 

As Captain Richards approached the post he was halt¬ 
ed by a sentinel, and the officer of the day summoned. 
A young man, wearing a lieutenant’s uniform, soon ap¬ 
peared, and, with an air of authority, demanded the ob¬ 
ject of the visit. The summons to surrender was then 
delivered, and the young man changed countenance as he 
turned off, saying, “ I will call the senior officer.” He 
soon appeared, and inquired the conditions of surrender, 
but was informed that none were offered, but that he 
was at liberty to see the attacking force, if he desired to # 
do so. Mounted on Whaley’s horse, the lieutenant was 
conducted to Mosby, who advanced to meet him, and re¬ 
peated the demand for a surrender, at the same time point¬ 
ing to the howitzer and the command stationed near it. 


236 


Partisan Life with Mosbij. 

No alternative was now left the Federal officer, and lie 
promptly complied with the terms demanded. Mosby 
then ordered the gun to be advanced so as to command 
the expected train as it came from the west, and Captain 
Mountjoy’s company, on account of his great authority 
over his men, was sent to support it, while Companies 
“ B” and “ C” were directed to take charge of the cap¬ 
tured property. A large stock of dry-goods was found 
in the possession of a Pennsylvanian, who was preparing 
to open a shop, and the men, first loading themselves with 
as much calico and other dry-goods as they could carry 
off, then packed the artillery-carriage and limber-box with 
sacks of coffee. 

Mosby waited an hour for the arrival of the train, 
which had been stopped at Martinsburg, for the flames 
of the burning camp at Duffield Station had revealed the 
presence of the Partisan chief. At length, having de¬ 
spaired of its arrival, he ordered Mountjoy, with the how¬ 
itzer and prisoners, to proceed directly to Charlestown, 
while Bichards and Chapman, with their companies, fol¬ 
lowed at intervals of a quarter of a mile, so as to deceive 
the enemy, by the cloud of dust thus raised, in regard to 
the strength of his command, which, as it moved along, 
laden with merchandise, resembled rather a caravan of 
merchants than a column of soldiers. Mosby was in ad¬ 
vance, and was met by a courier from Nelson with the 
information that he had encountered a party of sixty of 
the enemy (nearly three times his number), who had 
be*en sent out to reconnoitre from Harper’s Ferry, and 
had killed, wounded, and captured twenty-five men, and 
secured twenty horses. This cheering news was sent 
back to the command, with instructions for it to join 
Nelson as soon as possible, preparatory to a fight, for the 
courier had furthermore reported that the enemy, in heavy 
force, were advancing upon him from Harper’s Ferry. 


237 


The first Calico Raid . 

Mosby found Company “ A” drawn up in line of battle, 
and was welcomed by them with, enthusiastic cheers. 
The howitzer was then stationed in the centre of the po¬ 
sition, with “A” and “D” on its right and left, ready for 
action, while Richards and Chapman, with their compa¬ 
nies, were concealed half a mile back on the Duffield 
Road, with orders to attack simultaneously the enemy’s 
flanks as soon as the firing on the road was heard. Mos- 
by’s calculation was that the enemy, seeing only Compa¬ 
nies “A” and a D,” would charge down upon them in 
heavy force. With spherical case at short range, he in¬ 
tended to check the attack, and then, with another volley 
from the howitzer, throw them into confusion, while a 
combined charge upon their front and flanks by the four 
companies would, he was confident, complete the work. 
But the Federals, deceived, no doubt, by the column of 
dust on our line as to our numbers, declined an engage¬ 
ment, and greatly disappointed our leader, for he said 
that, with his men in such spirits, he could whip any cav¬ 
alry in the world, provided only they had fine horses. 
But as soon as the column was in motion the Yankees 
a^ain advanced. A line of battle was a second time 
formed, and Mosby halted a quarter of an hour, awaiting 
an attack; but, despairing of bringing on a fight, he or¬ 
dered Captain Chapman to recross the river with the com¬ 
mand and prisoners. They bivouacked for the night on 
the eastern bank of the Shenandoah, without food for 
men or horses, making for themselves beds with their 
captured merchandise. 

On the homeward march, Mosby, with six men, had 
lingered, as was his custom, in the rear of the column. 
Placing five of his party in ambush, he and Carlisle de¬ 
coyed seven Yankees into giving them chase. They fled 
past their comrades’ position, and then wheeled upon 
their pursuers, who, being assailed at the same time in 


238 


Partisan Life ivitJi Mosby. 

their rear by the party in the woods, had one of their 
number killed, one wounded, and the remaining five cap¬ 
tured. 

During the pursuit Mosby’s horse became unmanage¬ 
able, and he was about to be shot, when Carlisle fired, 
killing his antagonist. 

One of the captured Yankees, who had been foremost 
in the pursuit, urged his release upon the ground that he 
was a member of the Sanitary Commission, and a non- 
combatant; but Mosby only threatened to have him shot 
for impudence if he mentioned the subject again. 

Upon his return from this raid, sometimes called in 
the command the First Calico Raid, a lady, after compli¬ 
menting Colonel Mosby on his success, remarked, “ I hear 
you have a large supply of calico, an article which I 
greatly need, and I suppose you will sell it very cheap ?” 
To this interrogatory the Partisan chief abruptly replied, 

“Madam, you have mistaken my profession: I am a 
soldier.” 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE “ POINT OF ROCKS,” OR “ GREAT CALICO” RAID.-THE 

FIGHT AT MOUNT ZION CHURCH. 

Upper Fauquier, July 10th, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— I will now give you an account of the 
“ Point of Rocks,” or the “ Second Calico Raid,” and its 
supplement, the fight at Mount Zion Church. In the aft¬ 
ernoon of July 2d, near Rectortown, Mosby, accompanied 
by Fount Beattie, met Hugh Swartz, who is employed in 
Early’s quartermaster’s department, and from him learned 
for the first time that Early was on the march to Mary¬ 
land, and would that night camp near Winchester. With¬ 
out delay, he dispatched runners to collect his men, two 




The “Point of Rocks” or “great Calico” Raid . 239 

hundred of whom met him at Upperville the next day. 
The object which he had in contemplation was to strike 
the enemy’s communications between Washington and 
Harper’s Ferry, for he considered that in this way he 
could most effectually co-operate with the advancing 
army. On the 3d of July Mosby started with this force, 
taking along a twelve-pound brass Napoleon in charge 
of Lieutenant Chapman, and about noon the following 
day reached a crossing of the Potomac, one mile above 
the Point of Rocks. Accompanied by the guide, our lead¬ 
er entered the water, and had proceeded about half way 
the stream, when he was fired upon by sharp-shooters, 
who were concealed in the bushes on the other side, and 
was compelled to retrace his steps. He then ordered the 
Napoleon to be put in position on an eminence which 
commanded the Maryland shore, and detailed from the 
respective companies a party of carbineers, under com¬ 
mand of Lieutenant Wren, to wade the river. Protected 
by the fire from the artillery, they had reached an island 
midway the stream, when the first squadron, under com¬ 
mand of Captain Richards, was ordered forward to sup¬ 
port them. As the Rangers approached the Maryland 
shore, the Federal sharp-shooters fled to the mountains, 
and Captain Richards’s command proceeded down the 
tow-path in the direction of the Point of Rocks. Soon 
they overtook a steampacket freighted with government 
clerks going on an excursion to Harper’s Ferry, there to 
celebrate the national anniversary. As soon as the pleas¬ 
ure-seekers discovered the command, notwithstanding 
they had left Washington armed with revolvers for the 
express purpose of shooting the guerrillas, they leaped 
from the boat, and with clean heels made for the mount¬ 
ain. Our men fired at them as they scrambled up its 
rough and shaggy sides, frightening the valiant clerks 
nearly to death, and killing one poor fellow, less lucky 
than his companions. 


240 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

The Partisans then hurried on to the Point of Pocks, 
which is situated on the opposite side of the canal, and 
was garrisoned by three hundred and fifty troops, consist- 



POINT OF KOOKS, 11AEPER’ S FEKKY. 


ing of two companies of infantry, commanded by Cap¬ 
tains Bainford and Hardesty, and two of cavalry, which 
were no other than the redoubtable Loudoun Rangers. 
At the village the canal is crossed by a bridge, which is 
within easy musket-range of a circular rifle-pit which 
crowns an adjacent hill; but its flooring had been torn 
up before the Rangers reached it. Richards promptly 





























The “Point of Rocks" or “great Calico ” Raid. 241 

ordered it to be replaced with plank torn from the build¬ 
ing occupied by the provost-marshal; while this was be¬ 
ing done, Harry Hatcher crossed on the sleepers, tore from 
the fiag-stalF “ the stars and stripes,” and, wrapping the 
national emblem around him, returned in triumph to his 
comrades. While the work on the bridge was going 
forward, the enemy kept up a brisk fire from the rifle-pit, 
but as soon as it was accomplished, and a detachment ad¬ 
vanced to dislodge them from the hill-top with as much 
prudence as valor, they scattered in the forest in their 
rear, not waiting to have their defenses stormed. The 
retreat of the Loudoun Rangers was so precipitate that 
they neglected to carry off their flag, and was not discon¬ 
tinued until they reached Frederick City, thus placing a 
distance of twelve miles between themselves and their re¬ 
morseless pursuers. Captain Richards, with a small par¬ 
ty, started in pursuit of them, but he might as well have 
undertaken to follow a crow, and returned, having cap¬ 
tured only a lieutenant and three privates, who belonged 
to the infantry. 

As soon as the command entered the village, the fight¬ 
ing being over, they began the work of plundering, first 
the camp, and then the store-houses. Most of the men 
went into the dry-goods business, and soon four regular 
shops and one sutler’s establishment were emptied of 
their contents. Some invested in calico, some in one ar¬ 
ticle, and some in another; while still another element in 
the command, represented by our susceptible surgeon, 
supplied themselves abundantly with confectionaries of 
various kinds to carry to their favorites whom they had 
left behind. 

While the men were occupied in making investments 
in calico at the Point of Rocks (and it must be remem¬ 
bered that calico, with Mosbys men, is a generic for all 
dry-goods), Lieutenant Chapman, in command of the ar- 

Q 


242 


Partisan Life ivitli Mosby. 

tillery on the Virginia shore, fired upon a train of cars, 
but without inflicting any damage upon it. 

As soon as the camps were destroyed and the Rangers 
had loaded themselves with every thing they could bring 
off, Mosby ordered the command to recross the river by 
the Coney Island Ford, and proceed to a wood not far 
distant, where it halted until late in the evening, which 
gave the men time to overlook their plunder. But on 
their way to the wood an incident occurred which I will 
relate, as illustrative of the popularity of Mosby’s men 
with the fair sex. A party of mountain nymphs, attract¬ 
ed to the spot, doubtless, by the noise of the fight, were 
ranged along the road which leads from the river. One 
of them, addressing Charlie Hall, asked him to give her 
a pair of shoes. 

“ Certainly,” responded the gallant Ranger, u but you 
must give me a kiss in return.” 

On these terms the bargain was concluded, and the 
shoes handed over to the girl, who, with a smile and a 
blush, turned her cheek to the soldier. 

Late in the evening the men resumed the march, be¬ 
decked in a very grotesque and original manner with 
their captured goods. As they passed along the road, 
some arrayed in crinoline, some wearing bonnets, and all 
disguised with some incongruous and fantastic article of 
apparel, they looked like a company of masqueraders. 
Mrs. Dawson, who was in her garden, as she beheld the 
strange procession drawing near, was seized with alarm, 
and, rushing to the house, exclaimed to her daughters, 

“ Run, my children, run to the garret! they are com¬ 
ing, they are coming! They ain’t Yankees, and they 
ain’t Rebs: they must be Indians. Oh, they’ll scalp us! 
they’ll scalp us!” But her fear was turned into pleasure 
when she learned that they were only Mosby’s men re¬ 
turning from the calico raid. That night the Rangers 



The “Point of Rocks” or u great Calico Raid? 243 

camped in a wood not far from her house, and the next 
morning impressed wagons in the neighborhood to trans¬ 
port their captured property to Fauquier. 

Colonel Mosby, as soon as the command had halted for 
the night, made a visit to Mrs. Dawson, who brought to 
his attention the following order, which had been issued 
by the officer in command at Harper’s Ferry, and the no¬ 
tice which had been served upon her in virtue of it. 

“ Office Provost-Marshal, Point of Eocks, Md., June 23d, 1864. 

“ To all Southern Sympathizers and Rebels: 

“ Your attention is called to the Vandalism and destruction of 
private property by a party of Mosby’s guerrillas. On the 17th 
inst., some of this lawless and undisciplined band came to the prem¬ 
ises of Mr. Sydney Williams, and, without cause or provocation, 
burned his house, barn, and other buildings. It is hereby ordered 
that the rebels of Loudoun County at once take steps to reimburse 
Mr. Sydney Williams, by raising sixteen thousand dollars by con¬ 
tribution among themselves, and pay the same to the Provost- 
Marshal at Point of Rocks, Maryland. Any failure on the part of 
the above-named to pay their part of the required fund will be 
taxed double the amount required. You have until the 6th of 
July next to pay the above amount. By command of 

“ Brig. Gen. Max Webee, commanding at Harper’s Ferry, Va. 

“ Official.—R. E. Bainford, Capt. and Prov.-Marshal, Point of Rocks, Md. 

“Printed: Schley, Reefer & Co., Frederick, Md.” 

“ Office Provost-Marshal, Point of Rocks, Md., June 27th, 1864. 

“ Mbs. Dawson :—Madam, —Your attention is called to the within 
bill, in accordance to order issued by General Max Weber. The 
amount of tax levied on you is four hundred dollars, which tax you 
will promptly pay, as designated on the within bill. 

“ R. E. Bainfoed, Capt. and Prov.-Mar. 

“ Per A. R. Roderick, Clerk.” 

It is difficult for a man bred in the ideas of civilized 
life to find words to express his indignation at this act of 
military license. From what code, unless that of General 
Hunter, did General Max Weber learn that it was just 
to punish one man for the unlawful acts of another? 
Even the forms of an inquiry were not observed, and the 


. 244 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

whole case rested upon the assertions of the man who 
was to get the money thus obtained. 

Mosby emphatically denied that the burning had been 
committed by his men, and added, in the presence of a 
Union citizen who would certainly tell it to General 
Weber, that if any money were exacted on such a pre¬ 
tense, he would indemnify the sufferers twofold out of the 
Union men of Loudoun. This declaration from a man 
who never threatened in vain set the matter at rest. 

Before the captured goods were sent off from the woods 

near Mrs. Dawson’s, an incident occurred which well illus- 

* • 

trates the authority which Mosby exercises over his men, 
and the principle of equity by which he is guided in such 
cases. Mr. Lewis Meens, a gentleman of Southern princi¬ 
ples, was one of the merchants at the Point of Bocks 
whose property was carried off by the Bangers. He ap¬ 
pealed to Colonel Mosby to have it restored, who at once 
ordered all the merchandise which had been taken at 
that place to be brought forward, that Mr. Meens might 
identify and recover that which belonged to him. The 
men murmured at this surrender of their spoil, but there 
was no appeal from that iron will. 

In virtue of his confidential relations with the com¬ 
mander, the Chief, in advance of all others, had been in¬ 
formed of the projected expedition, and had, in pursuance 
of a promise, notified his friend and admirer, Bill Lake, to 
hold himself in readiness to accompany him, for of all 
things Bill most desired to go with him upon one of his 
plundering excursions. The most extravagant visions 
* danced before him, and, rubbing his hands, he said, in a 
confidential manner, 

“ Why, Chief, it will be better than a lottery-ticket.” 

True to the objects which had induced them to accom¬ 
pany the expedition, the two friends, as soon as the floor¬ 
ing of the bridge was relaid and the rifle-pits carried, 


The “Point of Hocks, v or u great Calico Raid” £45 

rushed into the store-houses along with the crowd, but 
their exertions were rewarded with different measures of 
success. The Chief was almost concealed as he sat upon 
his horse by the merchandise which he had managed to 
pack before, behind, and on every side of him, while Bill, 
in the crowd of eager and experienced plunderers, man¬ 
aged only to secure a tin coffee-pot. The two were togeth¬ 
er when Mosby’s order for restitution was delivered. The 
Chief swore roundly that he would not submit to such ar¬ 
bitrary treatment, and be despoiled of the property which 
he had acquired by the exposure of his person to Yankee ' 
bullets. Bill, too, was equally intractable, and one would 
have thought, from his brave words, that he would have 
died sooner than surrender his valuable trophy. The 
messenger w T as urgent, but the chief cut the matter short 
by striking across the country for home, attended by the 
faithful Bill. 

The morning after the fight at Point of Bocks, two 
hundred Federal cavalry, under command of Major 
Thompson, of the California Battalion, arrived at the vil¬ 
lage, and were followed late in the day by two compa¬ 
nies of infantry, one of which was placed in the rifle-pit, 
and the other posted on the hills above the town. These 
facts being communicated to Colonel Mosby, he broke up 
his encampment near Mrs. Dawson’s, and returned to a 
point near the river and opposite to Point of Bocks. 
From this point he dispatched a party of sharp-shooters to 
the river-bank, who, as soon as they were seen, were fired 
upon by the infantry from the opposite hills, and a desul¬ 
tory fire was kept up between them for two hours, during 
which a ball fired by one of the sharp-shooters fell short 
of its mark and killed Miss Ellen Fisher, a young lady re¬ 
siding at Point of Bocks. Mosby, meanwhile, had posted 
the Napoleon on an eminence below the town and oppo¬ 
site to Major Thompson’s cavalry, which was drawn up 


246 


Partisan Life ivitli Mosby. 

about half a mile from the river; but, owing to the pre¬ 
mature bursting of the shells, no damage was inflicted, so 
the duel across the Potomac was abandoned, and the Par¬ 
tisan Battalion marched several miles down the river, for 
the purpose of crossing at Noland’s Ferry, and thus gain¬ 
ing the rear of the Federal force. But, in order to con¬ 
ceal this movement, Mosby left a party under Lieutenant 
Ab. Wren in the vicinity of the village, to keep uj) the 
impression that his command was still there. In the 
neighborhood of Greenville the Bangers went into camp, 
and while Mosby was taking his supper at the house of 
Mr. Henry Ball, John Thomas and Harry Hatcher re¬ 
turned from a scout with the information that two hund¬ 
red Yankee cavalry were then at Leesburg. 

In consequence of this announcement, farther designs 
against the force at the Point of Bocks were abandoned, 
and Colonel Mosby moved his command across the mount¬ 
ain for the purpose of attacking Major Forbes, who was 
in command of the cavalry whose movements had been 
reported by the scouts. At Waterford he halted and 
threw out a picket on the Leesburg Boad, with whom 
he passed the night, and at daylight dispatched Carlisle 
and Puryear to Leesburg, who soon returned, and report¬ 
ed Major Forbes still at that place. Mosby at once start¬ 
ed in pursuit, but, as he passed Fort Johnson, a mile from 
the town, Major Forbes was discovered in the act of leav¬ 
ing it. At Leesburg the Partisan chief was received 
with enthusiasm, but he did not linger, for there was 
work ahead, and, with all the energy of his nature, he 
proceeded to perform it. 

Having discovered that the Federals had gone toward 
Aldie, Mosby, instead of following their track, took the 
road leading to Ball’s Mills, from which point he would 
be able to throw himself in their front on their return to 
the camp at Falls Church, thus pursuing the same mili- 


The “Point of Rocks” or “great Calico Raid.” 247 

tary policy which had resulted in the success at Anker’s 
Shop. Leaving the command in charge of Captain Chap¬ 
man, the next morning he took with him Willie Mosby, 
Wat Bowie, Bush Underwood, and a few others, and went 
on a scout for the purpose of ascertaining the where¬ 
abouts of Major Forbes, who, in the mean time, had come 
from Aldie to Mount Zion Church, two miles below, on 
the Little River Turnpike. Soon the scouting-party en¬ 
countered a detachment of the enemy, before whom they 
retreated to the command at the Mills, where Mosby, 
supposing that he would soon be attacked by Major 
Forbes’s entire force, posted himself in an advantageous 
position to receive the anticipated charge. But his ex¬ 
pectations were not realized, and, finding that no attack 
was intended, Colonel Mosby marched to a point on the 
Little River Turnpike, two miles below Mount Zion, in 
the hope that Major Forbes would pass his position on 
his return to Falls Church. But, after waiting in vain 
for the space of two hours for the fulfillment of this ex¬ 
pectation, he determined to seek his antagonist, and fight 
him in the open field. When he came in sight of Mount 
Zion Church, he found the enemy drawn up on the left 
of the road, in an open field, which had a gradual slope 
to the turnpike, with one squadron posted in advance of 
the other. Mosby’s dispositions for attack were then 
made as follows. A body of sharp-shooters, under com¬ 
mand of Harry Hatcher, was sent forward to occupy a 
skirt of woods on his left, while he stationed the Napo¬ 
leon in the road, supported by Company u D,” command¬ 
ed by Lieutenant Glasscock, and disposed the rest of the 
command in a position from which they could charge the 
enemy. 

The fight was opened by an ineffectual shot from the 
Napoleon, followed by an impetuous charge, led by Mos¬ 
by. Major Forbes’s advance squadron for a time stood 


248 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

firm, but, finding itself overpowered, and attacked in front 
and flank, wheeled and fell back upon the squadron in 
the rear. This movement soon became a retreat, in which 
the rest of the command united. About six hundred 
yards in their rear, the Federals were checked by a high 
fence, and here a party of twenty-five men turned upon 
their pursuers, and fought with determined but useless 
valor, in a hand-to-hand combat, for in a little while half 
of this gallant band were either killed, wounded, or drag-' 
ged to the ground by their wounded horses. As soon as 
the fence gave way the retreat became a rout; but at a 
point farther on in the direction of Sudley Mills, another 
party of the enemy, numbering about fifteen, rallied and 
drove back a few of the pursuers; but they were soon 
re-enforced, and this second party, like their comrades, 
were forced to seek safety in flight. 

Mosby, with Johnny Edmunds, continued the pursuit to 
Sudley Mills, a distance of ten miles from Mount Zion 
Church, where the fight began, from which point they re¬ 
turned, driving before them about fifteen loose horses. 

Mosby’s loss in the engagement was Henry Smallwood 
mortally wounded, Bob Walker, Tom Richards, and Tom 
Lake severely wounded, and Willie Martin badly bruised 
by blows with a carbine. The enemy lost twenty killed 
and mortally wounded, twenty-five badly wounded, sixty 
taken prisoners, and ninety horses, with their equipments. 

As soon as it was reported that Major Forbes, well 
known as a successful raider, was in command of the op¬ 
posing force, several of the Bangers expressed their de¬ 
termination to be his captor. But fortune favored Tom 
Richards, who, after a fierce hand-to-hand conflict, in which 
he received a dangerous wound, succeeded in making the 
Federal officer his prisoner. The next day the booty was 
divided at Piedmont, and the prisoners sent to Richmond. 
Thus terminated one of Mosby’s most brilliant expedi- 


The “Point of Roclcs” or u great Calico” Raid. 249 

tions, for in tlie period of five days he had crossed the Po¬ 
tomac, captured the Point of Rocks and dispersed its gar¬ 
rison, and then had turned upon an unexpected adversary 
in superior force, and had routed, pursued, and captured 

him. (See Appendix for Mosbfs Reply to Early i) 

Note. — I inspected the scene of this combat with Mr. Alexan¬ 
der Davis, of Loudoun County, who was at the time an officer in the 
Federal army. The version of the fight which he received a few 
days after, at Falls Church, was, that Major Forbes ordered his ad¬ 
vanced squadron to fall back to the position occupied by the other, 
and Mosby, quick to seize the advantage thus afforded, charged 
while this movement was being executed. 




















































250 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 

RAIDING IN MARYLAND. 

Upper Fauquier, August 2d, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —In my account of tlie raid on Point of 
Rocks I omitted to mention a scouting-party which Col¬ 
onel Mosby sent, in charge of Wat Bowie, to Maryland the 
day after the capture, and while his command was camped 
in the wood near Mrs. Dawson’s. 

Having crossed the river at Noland’s Ferry, Bowie halt¬ 
ed on a canal bridge to take a survey of the country, and 
soon saw two men advancing up the river bank. Charlie 
Vest and Charlie Dear were sent to bring in the strangers, 
who proved to be citizens residing in Virginia, and from 
them information was obtained of the advance of Colonel 
Thompson’s command to Point of Rocks. With Munroe 
Heiskell and Lowndes, Bowie then proceeded to the house 
of a citizen in search of farther intelligence, and while 
there cut the telegraph wires. Upon his return to his 
party a courier was sent to report to Colonel Mosby all 
that had been learned, and Bowie then proceeded to at¬ 
tack a party of Yankees, who, he was informed, was guard¬ 
ing a number of canal-boats at Monocacy, a place situated 
at the junction of the river of the same name with the Po¬ 
tomac. They were driven oft" after a short resistance, in 
which two were killed and four taken prisoners. The 
Partisans, before leaving, made a descent upon a store, 
from which, in addition to other things, they procured 
greenbacks enough to give each man a dividend of five 
dollars. Bowie and his party then recrossed the river, 


Raiding in Maryland . 251 

\ 

and rejoined tlieir commander tlie next day at Water¬ 
ford. 

A few days after tlie Mount Zion figlit, Bowie w^as again 
furnished with a party to return to Maryland, and on his 
march to the river was told by a citizen that a party of 
twenty-seven Yankees, dressed in Confederate uniform, 
had passed up the Leesburg and Dranesville Turnpike on 
a plundering expedition. With his nine men he started 
in pursuit, but soon met them coming back down the 
road, and charged them at full speed, but they all es¬ 
caped under cover of night to the woods, with a loss of 
only three horses, while three of Bowie’s party were 
wounded, and Frank Carter seriously injured by a fall 
from his horse. 

Wdiile General Early was in the vicinity of Washing¬ 
ton, Mosby, in command of the battalion and a piece of 
artillery, crossed the Potomac at a ford near Leesburg. 
At Poolesville he halted long enough for the command 
to be hospitably entertained by the citizens, and then 
marched several miles beyond the town to camp for the 
night. The next morning he proceeded to the camp of 
the 8th Illinois, which was on Muddy Branch, but found 
it deserted, with evident signs of having been hastily 
abandoned, although it was very defensible, being situ¬ 
ated on the crest of a high hill, and protected by fortifi¬ 
cations. The camp equipage and a large quantity of 
supplies, which the Lincoln boys would not defend, were 
destroyed, and Mosby then set out to return to Fauquier. 

As Early’s rear-guard was crossing the Shenandoah on 
the return of the expedition from Maryland, Mosby sent 
Captain Richards, with a party, to the vicinity of Snick- 
ersville to get information. They were urged by the vil¬ 
lage people to leave the neighborhood, and were inform¬ 
ed that a Federal column had just disappeared in the gap 
of the mountain. During this parley, Richards’s atten- 


252 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

tion was directed to two men dressed in citizen’s clotlies, 
who were riding leisurely along the grade toward him. 
Willie Martin and Gibson were sent to discover who 
they were, and, disappearing from view behind a hill, a 
single shot was heard. They returned, bringing with 
them one prisoner and a led horse. 

“ Yankees, captain,” said Willie. “This fellow is a lieu¬ 
tenant, the other w~as an orderly sergeant.” 

The prisoner, when asked why he was absent from his 
command, replied that he had been sent back, with a 
squad, to burn some broken-down caissons. 

“ Where is your squad V inquired Captain Richards. 

“ They are behind, sir, with the first lieutenant.” 

“ How many, and how far behind are they ?” 

“Ten, besides the lieutenant,” answered the officer; 
“and I guess they can’t be more than a quarter of a 
mile back.” 

“ Good luck, boys,” exclaimed Captain Richards. “ Here 
is your chance; a horse a piece if we manage right. Here, 
Robinson,” continued he, “ take the prisoner to head-quar¬ 
ters ; and now, men, forward by twos, and quietly.” 

Holding their arms and horses in readiness, the Ran¬ 
gers moved silently along the road until, from the top of a 
hill, they saw the squad approaching, apparently unsuspi¬ 
cious of danger. But soon the lieutenant, who was in ad¬ 
vance, reined up, and remained for a moment as if puzzled 
to know by whom he was to be met. But discretion quick¬ 
ly got the better of valor, and, suddenly wheeling his 
horse, away he flew, followed by his men. But for this 
very action Richards was prepared, and the Federal offi¬ 
cer had hardly turned his horse when the Partisans dash¬ 
ed upon him. In five minutes the business was accom¬ 
plished—eight of the squad killed, two captured, the lieu¬ 
tenant missing, and eight horses, with their equipments, 
secured. The Rangers afterward learned that the lieu- 


253 


Raiding in Maryland. 

tenant’s liorse, blinded by the cloud of dust, fell with 
him, but that, not being seriously hurt, he extricated him¬ 
self, and escaped on foot. 

Richards then ordered the prisoners, horses, and arms 
to be collected, and feeling sure that Colonel Mosby could 
extract from the prisoner already sent to head-quarters 
all t]*e information he desired, he conducted his command 
by a circuitous but safe road back to Upperville. Just 
before nightfall he ordered a halt, and divided the horses 
by lot, Harry Shaw having the good fortune to draw 
the lieutenant’s bay, which he forthwith named General 
Lee, and sent to his boarding-house to be taken care of. 

While the enemy in pursuit of General Early had 
their outposts at Bloomfield, Colonel Mosby divided his 
command into several parts, each of which was intrusted 
to a separate officer. Richards, with Company “ B,” was 
sent to Fairfax, while the other detachments, under Mos¬ 
by, Lieut. Glasscock, and Captain Chapman, operated 
upon Hunter’s army, then lying at the base of the Blue 
Ridge. The artillery was sent, for safety, to the mount¬ 
ains. For the sake of convenience, these detachments 
were afterward broken up into small squads, and I will 
only give you a few specimens of their mode of harassing 
the enemy. 

A detachment of the enemy’s cavalry was camped near 
the Aldie and Snickersville Turnpike, when Lieutenant 
Glasscock, with seven men, from a position on a wooded 
eminence which overlooked the camp, saw a party of ten 
Yankees issue from it. The weather was warm, and 
Glasscock ordered his men to take off their gray coats 
and strap them behind their saddles, relying upon the 
blue pantaloons which they wore to make them pass for 
Federal soldiers. Then, placing himself at the head of 
the column, he emerged from the wood, carelessly whist¬ 
ling Yankee Doodle, and marched for some distance in 


254 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

the rear of the Feclerals before he was observed. Pres¬ 
ently they halted, and a sergeant rode back toward Glass¬ 
cock, but did not suspect his true character until too late 
to retreat. With great presence of mind, his captor, with¬ 
out halting him, in an under tone ordered him to the rear, 
and his companions, seeing him pass on apparently unmo¬ 
lested, concluded that all was right, and resumed their 
march at a slow walk. The Rangers, as soon as their 
backs were turned, drew their revolvers, and, trotting 
briskly up on their flanks, ordered them to surrender. 
Without resistance they complied, only remarking, “Pret¬ 
ty cool, that; but we mistook you for our own men.” 
They were all well armed and finely mounted. After 
they had gone a few miles, one of the prisoners, who was 
riding a fine blooded mare, tried to make his escape, but 
was pursued by Fount Beattie, and captured, after an ex¬ 
citing race of about a mile, during which he was twice 
wounded. The wounded man was carried to a neigh¬ 
boring farm-house, and the surgeon of his regiment sum¬ 
moned to^attend him. Those who represent our command 
as composed of robbers and bandits would be surprised 
to learn that he was assisted to dismount by Lieutenant 
Glasscock. 

While Lieutenant Glasscock was piping Yankee Doo¬ 
dle on the Snickersville and Aldie Turnpike, Chapman 
attacked an outpost which had been left in the rear of 
General Duffle’s cavalry division, which had gone toward 
Berry’s Ferry. He found, upon reconnoitring, that the 
picket of sixty men was stationed at “ the big poplar” 
which marks the corner where the counties of Fauquier, 
Loudoun, and Clarke unite, and stands in the gap of the 
mountain, near the turnpike, and that they were dis¬ 
mounted, and had their horses tied together. Acting 
upon this information, Chapman divided his command. 
One of the divisions he intrusted to Lieutenant Fox, for 


255 


Raiding in Maryland. 

the purpose of making a simultaneous attack on the 
picket from opposite points, which would have rendered 
its capture or destruction certain. But the party under 
Fox, in executing their part of the plan, came upon some 
marauders who were plundering Mrs. Crear’s house, and 
fired upon them. Chapman, supposing from these shots 
that Fox had opened the fight, charged the picket, two 
of whom were killed, five wounded, and thirty taken 
prisoners. In addition, thirty-eight horses were secured, 
and Chapman decoyed the enemy to pursue him and a 
few others, in order to afford time for the rest of the com¬ 
mand, in charge of the prisoners, to reach, by a mountain 
road, the house of Slice Barbour, where the captures 
were disposed of. 

When Hunter fell back toward Leesburg, after the dis¬ 
aster at the Parker House, Harry Hatcher, with a detach¬ 
ment of thirty men, was sent by Mosby to watch the 
turnpike, and, before nightfall, captured one hundred of 
the retreating and demoralized army. About the same 
time, Mosby, with a party, camped near Woodgrove to 
pass the night. As he dismounted he ordered Major 
Hibbs to take a detail and procure corn with which to 
feed the horses the next morning. The major demurred, 
pleading fatigue and the lateness of the hour; but Mosby 
insisted; so the Chief of the Corn Detail, who made it a 
rule to obey nobody else, started off. At daylight Mosby 
awoke, and discovered, outstretched among sacks of corn, 
the major, who had long since erased from his lexicon the 
word “ impossible.” After gazing at the sleeper for a 
moment, he turned away and said, “What a misfortune 
to the country that my Chief of the Corn Detail is not 
Quartermaster General!” 

With a portion of his company, Lieutenant Glasscock 
about this time crossed the Shenandoah at Rocky Ford, 
and camped near Charlestown. The next morning he 


256 


Partisan Life with Mosby, 

concealed his men in a wood near Locust Grove, and soon 
three sutlers’ wagons appeared, escorted by twelve cav¬ 
alry-men. Without firing a shot, the wagons and escort 
were captured and carried to Loudoun. 

Soon after the events just related, Mosby, with eight 
men, went to the Valley on a scout. Leaving the com¬ 
mand in Campbell’s Wood, he, with John Russell, went to¬ 
ward the turnpike to make observations. The first train 
which they saw pass was too heavily guarded to be suc¬ 
cessfully interfered with; but soon eight wagons approach¬ 
ed, escorted by three infantry and eight cavalry. Mosby’s 
command was then brought forward, but the advance of 
two hundred Yankee cavalry on the march to Winchester 
compelled them to desist from making the attack until the 
train had reached Stuart’s farm. At this point Mosby 
remained to watch the road, while Russell and the seven 
others made the capture, and, in addition, secured a sut¬ 
ler’s wagon, which they rifled, supplying themselves with 
hats, boots, over-coats, and other articles of convenience, 
to say nothing of some excellent liquor. The captures were 
conveyed to Campbell’s Wood, from which point they 
were sent in charge of Russell and five others to Fauquier. 
Mosby, with two men, remained in the Valley, where Rich¬ 
ards, with the command, was ordered to join him. 

Upon Richards’s arrival he was dispatched with nine¬ 
ty men toward Winchester, while Sam Chapman, with a 
party of twenty, was sent to capture a picket-post near 
Bunker Hill, and Mosby, with the remaining twenty, pro¬ 
ceeded to the neighborhood of Martinsburg. 

About three miles from the village they halted in a 
wood, and were furnished by a citizen with oats for their 
horses and food for themselves, including the luxury of 
Lincoln coffee. During this interval Wirt Ashby was 
sent to Martinsburg to look around—a duty requiring; 
some delicacy in its performance, as there were several 


257 


Raiding in Maryland . 

thousand Federal troops in and around the place. After 
the lapse of several hours the scout returned, and report¬ 
ed that it was practicable to enter the town with the com¬ 
mand, and that in it would be found a stable filled with 
officers’ horses, a jewelry store, and an establishment for 
furnishing military outfits. 

Mosby, as soon as he heard the situation of affairs, di¬ 
vided his command, leaving half of it in charge of the 
horses, and, taking with him ten men, followed Ashby to 
the village. Every thing was astir, and Federal soldiers 
met the Rangers face to face, but, on account of the friend¬ 
ly darkness, did not recognize them. The guide at once 
proceeded to the stable, which he entered through a win¬ 
dow, and then opened the door for his comrades. They 
had no time to look about for saddles and bridles, but 
each, selecting the best horse he could find, mounted bare- 
back, leading the animals by halters. Just as Mosby’s 
men were leaving the stable, a man in the loft awoke and 
inquired who was troubling his horses. This unexpected 
interrogatory alarmed several of the party, who, excited 
by the novelty and peril of the situation, dashed through 
the streets, and the horses becoming unmanageable, the 
headlong rush was continued for several miles beyond the 
town. A little later, Mosby, who thought the night’s work 
but just begun, returned to Martinsburg, but, finding ev¬ 
ery thing in a state of excitement, and the enemy on the 
alert, he was compelled to abandon his intention of visit¬ 
ing the store-houses, and with difficulty escaped detection 
by passing out of the town by a back street. Foiled in 
this attempt, Mosby then conducted his men to a camp 
on a neighboring hill. The inmates were asleep, and the 
officers absent on a frolic in the village. Without creat¬ 
ing alarm, several horses were secured, and many articles 
of value were taken from the tents, among them officers’ 
trunks, which were carried off to the party in charge of 

R 


258 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

the horses in the wood, and there made to deliver up 
their contents. 

A few days after this affair Captain Richards captured 
a Federal soldier, who, in narrating the circumstances, 
said that it was the work of a party of the 1st New York 
Cavalry. He was incredulous when told that it was an 
achievement of Mosby’s, for he was slow to believe that 
even he would have made so bold an attempt. 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

A LECTURE ON LOVE, LITERARY ENTERTAINMENTS, AND 
ATTAINMENTS OF GUERRILLAS. 

Upper Fauquier, August 10th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —Would you have, my friend, another 
feature of the little world which Mosby, with plastic art, 
has created around him \ Listen, and I will tell you; or, 
rather, read what is here set down, for, as the day is rainy, 
I will give a veritable record of an amusing scene which 
recently transpired in the Partisan Battalion. 

As Mosby, with an advance party, was resting by a 
patriarchal spring under a thick shade, when we were on 
the Point of Rocks Raid, and was engaged in some light 
talk with Mr. Blackwell Magog, Bill Lake, who is called 
by the ladies “ Sweet William,” several others of the 
command, and myself, Dr. Dunn, our surgeon, passed near. 
We had along a plenty of coffee, procured at Duffield 
Station a few days before, and Carlisle and Henry Heaton 
had just started to have some of it prepared at a house 
a short distance off The colonel called to the medicine¬ 
man to join the circle, which, after loosening the girths of 
his saddle, the doctor proceeded to do. 

Now it was a fact notorious in the command that our 



A Lecture on Love , Literary Entertainments, etc. 259 

excellent surgeon liad had the misfortune to fall over 
head and ears in love with a beautiful and attractive lady 

in our Alpine Confederacy, Miss K-, of the P-, or 

Dulcebenietta, as, in his peculiar nomenclature, Mr. Black- 
well Magog calls her. A lively interest was manifested 
in this affair of the heart throughout the battalion, and 
the bets ran high on the result of the doctor’s love-suit. 
Horses, spurs, cavalry-saddles, and, profanely, many jugs 
of blockade, were staked on the issue. The bets, I repeat, 
ran high, and one Banger offered as much as a hundred 
in greenbacks that the surgeon, if properly supported, 
would capture the fair Dulcebenietta, and lead her in tri¬ 
umph to the altar. It was Fount Beattie, who had come 
from the doctor’s country, who was willing thus boldly 
to back him. Others, however, more sagacious or more 
desponding, expressed the opinion that there would be a 
spirited, perhaps an obstinate defense, and that the gar¬ 
rison might hold out as long as old Troy. 

In this state of things, what was to be done ? Why, 
the most natural course was to refer the matter to Mr. 
Blackwell Magog, whose opinion in such affairs carries 
with it a just weight. After several days’ deliberation 
the oracle spoke, and in a very grave and erudite man¬ 
ner declared that, unless the surgeon of Mosby’s Battal¬ 
ion had help, and a good deal of it, a sally from the for¬ 
tress might relieve the garrison and scatter the besiegers. 
The priest of the Delphic art added with great emphasis, 
“ What the siege requires is engineering talent—yes, sir, 
engineering talent—sappers and miners, and then a storrn- 
ing-party.” 

It must be known that “ the chief” ever speaks in mil¬ 
itary phrase. Indeed, it is one of the glories of his life, 
that he has at least that distinctive badge of a soldier; 
for, like other military men, he entertains a just contempt 
for civilians. So thickly strewn is his phraseology with 




260 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

such words, so constantly do liis sentences bristle with 
the terms of the military art, that you would swear he 
was educated at West Point. So far does he carry this 
form of expression, that he talks of flanking young ladies, 
and taking their defenses in reverse. 

As soon as the opinion of “the chief” was noised 
abroad, Dr. Dunn was considered a ruined man. The 
Rangers began to avoid him as a man of ill omen, and 
not a guerrilla of them would venture even so much as a 
halter-strap on his chances of success. Bets were drawn 
and forfeits paid up; and even Fount, the ever-faithful, 
showed a loss of confidence, and evident signs of backing 
out, and leaving Dr. Dunn to his fate. Dulcebenietta was 
clearly the favorite now, and, disheartened by the unpop¬ 
ularity of his cause, the surgeon was almost ready to em¬ 
brace the last consolation of the wretched, and close his 
miserable life by the rash hand of self-destruction. 

When the great augur and high-priest was informed 
of the effect which his words had produced, he was in¬ 
duced by his kind heart, but as much by a secret desire 
to have a hand in such affairs, to interrogate the stars a 
second time, or, in stricter conformity with the customs 
of the old Romans, to auspicate the event by consulting 
the flight of birds, and by other oracular signs, by which 
the will of the gods can be ascertained, but which are 
known only to the initiated. For several nights he was 
engaged with these prognostications. Oft, amid vigils 
and fastings, the astrologer might be seen on the mount¬ 
ain top or in the fieMs, observing the course of the heav¬ 
enly bodies. At such times the men would gaze at him 
with secret awe if they met him in his solitary rambles, 
and would regard him, when he returned again to the 
haunts of men, as a messenger, or rather plenipotentiary 
of some higher power. He mounted the tripod, and de¬ 
clared the decree of Fate to be, “ If Dr. Dunn would win 


A Lecture on Love , Literary Entertainments , etc. 261 . 

the virgin, he must follow the path of the honey-bee, 
which seeks its treasure from afar.” The interpretation 
of the response, in simple prose, was understood to be, 
that Dr. Dunn must not rely upon himself altogether, but 
must be governed by the advice of his friends. Thus the 
case stood. 

Now this son of the healing art was the most teachable 
of men, and of this trait in his character Mr. Blackwell 
Magog was well apprised when he interpreted to him the 
Delphic response which has just been related. He knew 
full w T ell that he would be called on in the critical junct- 
♦ ure at which affairs stood, and he rubbed his hands and 
rejoiced greatly at the opportunity thus publicly and 
notoriously offered to supersede the coarse and vulgar 
method of love-making by the elegant and refined teach¬ 
ings of science. Mr. Blackwell Magog was an amateur, 
and, like all amateurs, adored his art. When the sur¬ 
geon had joined the party before described, Mosby ad¬ 
dressed him: 

“ Come, doctor, come and tell us how you prosper in 
love-making—how you and Miss K-are getting on.” 

Dr. Dunn. “ I regret to say, colonel, that I can not 
gratify your curiosity, for, in truth, I know not the signs 
of prosperous love.” 

Colonel Mosby here inquired of the chief if he could 
not instruct the doctor in the symptoms of love, and the 
mode in which to conduct a courtship to a happy con¬ 
clusion. 

“ Certainly, certainly,” responded Mr. Blackwell Magog, 
with the air of a professor. 

So the man of science arose, and, with a look and ges¬ 
ture that imparted weight to his words and dignity to his 
subject, thus addressed the doctor, who, duly impressed 
with the dignity of the occasion, assumed an air ot atten¬ 
tion, and humbly and reverently looked up into the in¬ 
structor’s face. 




262 



Mr. Blackwell Magog. “ It is not unknown to you, ok 
surgeon of Mosby’s Battalion, that I am tke Professor of 
Love in this command; that, as such, I rank all the offi¬ 
cers save the colonel, and, in the parlor and boudoir, the 
colonel himself. Yes, wherever the ladies are, there is 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

It ought to be mentioned, in justice to the orator, that 
he first poised and settled his person, wiped the perspira¬ 
tion from his red face with his handkerchief, and then, 
with a very solemn look, fixed his great ox-eyes on his 
scholar. The colonel rested his chin on his right hand, 
and gazed with interest at the speaker; the rest of the 
company were lying around in curious silence, while I 
drew forth my tablets, a mark of consideration which the 
speaker acknowledged by a graceful wave of the hand. 
His style was animated, copious, fluent, and free from 
meretricious ornament; his matter was well arranged, his 
manner impressive, his utterance clear and agreeable. 


THE LEOXUEE ON LOVE. 















A Lecture on Love , Literary Entertainments , etc. 263 

my realm, there am I paramount, there bear undisputed 
sway; or, in the language of the poet, 

“ My flag the sceptre all who meet obey.” 

“ I perceive, Dr. Dunn, that you are a novice—a mere 
rustic, indeed, in love; but, simple youth, I pity rather 
than blame your ignorance, as you come from a region 
much infested by barbarians. I will therefore, by way 
of preliminary, observe, that in the educated and refined 
circles of society love is just coming to be regarded as 
one of the sciences, or, with a greater precision of lan¬ 
guage, one of the fine arts. In this higher sphere of life 
it is classed with music, poetry, painting, sculpture, and, 
like them, has its established laws. The ancients — to 
whom, in matters of taste, the world still bows—ever so 
regarded it, and allotted a muse or presiding divinity to 
this, the most excellent of all the arts. Indeed, as if in 
recognition of this superiority, they assigned it a more 
exalted sphere when they called the divine Venus, the 
model of elegance and beauty, from the stars, to preside 
over the affairs of the heart. Among the moderns, it is 
true, who have materialized every thing—I speak not, 
to be sure, of the age of chivalry, wdien all Christendom 
built altars to woman—among the moderns, love has lost 
something of its exalted, or, rather, its ethereal or celes¬ 
tial dignity. But, oh surgeon, though love is no longer 
adored in temples, and honored with sacrifices and games, 
it still occupies a respectable position and wields a po¬ 
tent sceptre. To sum the whole, the ancients honored 
love as a powerful deity, while with the degenerate mod¬ 
erns it is only a terrestrial potentate, into whose domin¬ 
ions Mammon—who still is, and ever will continue, a 
god—makes destructive incursions. Here I put in a 
caveat. I speak not, oh neophyte, of love as a passion. 
As such, banish it to the wigwam of the savage, or to 
company with the swinish multitude. Once for all, I tell 



264 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 

you, with love as a passion I will have nothing to do. I 
mate not with so gross a companion! Would you have 
lessons in such beastly materialism? Go, hapless youth, 
to the Yankees, with their miscegenations, their passional 
attractions, and free-love societies. But I speak alone of 
that refined, softened, delicate, sentimental affection of 
the heart which the best people entertain, and which la¬ 
dies and gentlemen are not ashamed to acknowledge— 
an inspired emotion rather, a glowing and impassioned 
friendship. It is, Dr. Dunn, with love as an exalted, fil¬ 
trated sentiment, an operation of the mind even more 
than an emotion of the soul, that I treat—or Love in his 
ambrosial weeds, as he fascinates and ensnares the gods. 
Have I, oh disciple of the excellent Galen, have I, with 
sufficient caution, guarded myself against misconception 
and error? For it is not unknown to me, the strong pro¬ 
clivity of your brotherhood to materialism—that, in defi¬ 
ance of the divine oracles, you would convert the temple 
of man’s soul into a perishable structure of clay, not for 
the indwelling of holy thoughts forever, but as the com¬ 
panion and food of worms. Disciple of the chirurgic art, 
dost comprehend the sage doctrine I would unfold to thy 
untutored mind ?” 

Here Dr. Dunn humbly and reverently bowed, as un¬ 
der the ferula of a master, and after a short pause the 
Professor again spoke: “ Love, Dr. Dunn, hath ever been 
the companion of the Graces; nor can they be severed ex¬ 
cept by violent and unnatural means. When, therefore, 
you prepare to enter the presence of the fair inamorata, 
the object of thy soul’s adoration, be ever circumspect, 
and assume thy most graceful carriage. The candidate 
for the honors of matrimony should take his hat in the 
right hand, and, after adjusting his oiled and perfumed 
locks, should hold it about six inches from his breast, op¬ 
posite the region of the heart, to indicate that it needs a 


A Lecture on Love , Literary Entertainments , etc. 265 

shield against the powerful glances to which it is about 
to be exposed. This done, he should throw himself in the 
attitude the most affecting to the fair sex—I mean the 
Grecian curve or bend, as it is vulgarly called—and with 
the heels drawn close together, and the points of the toes 
well turned out, he should, with a light, springy tread, and 
the most fascinating smile, approach the fair one. Thus, 
Dr. Dunn.” 

Here the Professor, in conformity with these directions, 
and with the most enchanting expression of countenance, 
stepped off a few paces. 

Rangers. “ That’s it, Professor, that’s it.” 

Having regained his position, he again began: 

a The preliminaries of introduction and acquaintance' 
over, which I will assume to occupy three hours or three 
hours and twenty minutes, though in extreme cases I 
have known the period prolonged as much as four hours, 
you will take your seat by the damsel, so placing your¬ 
self as to have the free use of the right hand and arm.” 

Here the Professor paused to observe that in the case 
of a left-handed lover the instructions must be modified 
to suit the case. 

“ Having placed yourself beside the patient—you will 
surely understand that here the patient is a blushing 
young girl, trembling with the soft tumult of love, her 
heart wildly beating to its intoxicating music — having 
placed yourself, I repeat, by Dulcinea’s side, you will care¬ 
lessly take her hand in yours. But, Dr. Dunn, be partic¬ 
ular that this introductory act be performed in a manner 
of unstudied elegance and unpremeditated carelessness. 
Assume, if you can, an air of abstraction, as though you 
took no thought of the act, for the enemy must not, by 
any means, be apprised of your intentions. These evolu¬ 
tions represent your line of skirmishers, Dr. Dunn, thrown 
out to bring on the engagement, which they invariably 
do if the generalship be able. 





266 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

“ When you take the soft, tremulous hand in yours, 
mark the downcast eye, tlie heaving breast, the quick 
beat of the heart, the kindling blush — those innocent 
shames that mount in the cheek—for they are all har¬ 
bingers, and portend success in love. Having taken the 
maiden’s hand, for it is only with such as have the aroma 
of first love about them, as the young violet its perfume, 
that the higher and abstruser branches of the art are call¬ 
ed into requisition, you will begin to examine and com¬ 
pliment her rings. 

“ Dr. Dunn,” exclaimed the Professor, throwing up his 
eyes and clasping his hands in the most affecting manner, 
“ Dr. Dunn, by the order and economy of the universe, all 
things, whether created by the Great Father or by man, 
have their uses. The sun is lord of the day, and the 
moon, in her reflected splendor, is regent of the night. 
To shine upon and bless this opaque globe, and render it 
fit for the habitation of man, are their ordained objects. 
The wind, when it comes from its desert home, has its 
uses, as have the eyes, the ears, and the hands of man. 
As the winds, and the heavenly bodies, and the eyes, the 
ears, and the hands of man have their uses, so the rings 
on the fingers of young ladies have their uses, their func¬ 
tions, their purposes, their occasions. These, excellent 
physician, are to serve as a preface, a preliminary, a pre¬ 
amble to love—an easy, natural, recognized introduction 
to courtship. It was obviously on account of this inbred 
connection between the ring and love that the ring was 
selected by Hymen as the emblem and pledge of the 
most sacred and interesting of all terrestrial relations. 

“Having examined her rings with a gentle emphasis, 
oh surgeon—it must be a very gentle emphasis, accompa¬ 
nied with a scarce audible sigh—you will observe that 
one ring alone is wanting to the perfect adornment of 
that fair hand. This every woman will understand to 






A Lecture on Love,Literary Entertainments , etc. 267 

convey a delicate allusion to tlie wedding-ring, at once 
the object of all the hopes and fears of every young 
woman. You will then gently press the hand, gradually 
tightening the grasp as the occasion would require.” 

Here the Professor again paused, and fell into a fit of 
abstraction, looking like Galileo among the stars. 

Mosby. “ Well, chief, what next ?” 

Mr. Blackwell Magog (with great deliberation of 
manner). “Having encompassed the nymph’s hand in 
yours, and bestowed on her a melting glance, thus, you 
will gently slide the other hand, being your left, around 
the fair one’s waist, and, resting it on the side farthest 
from you, begin again the system of gentle pressure. 
Every system, Doctor Dunn, has its nature and principle, 
and the principle of my system is that of gradual ap¬ 
proaches. It is rarely that I venture to storm a breast¬ 
work—indeed, never, unless the rampart is low and the 
garrison weak.” 

Rangers . “ That gets her!” 

Here ensued another pause. 

Mosby (impatiently). “Tell us what comes next. We 
are all deeply interested in your proceeding. Do go on. 
A man might almost imagine himself an actor in so inter¬ 
esting a piece.” 

Holding up the first digit of the right hand as if in 
admonition, the Professor continued: 

“Here two distinct lines of action lie open before an 
enterprising lover, either of which may conduct to a suc¬ 
cessful issue, but I generally take the lips next.” 

Mosby. “ Well, chief, what next ?” 

Mr. Blackwell Magog. “ What next ? Great God! does 
any man under eighty ask me what next? Ha! ha! ha I’ 1 

All. “Ha! ha! ha!” 

Munson. “ The fort surrenders without firing a gun.” 

About a month later, when we were again on the 


268 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 



DO LCEBENIETTA. 


march, we assembled under 
a great oak—a favorite bait¬ 
ing-place with Mosby’s men 
when they passed on the 
route near which it stood. 
The shade was dense, the 
breezes cool and nimble, 
and Colonel Mosby' called 
up the surgeon to report 
upon the efficiency of the 
Professor’s rules for court¬ 
ship ; in short, to tell what 
success he had met with at 


the hands of Dulcebenietta. 

Dr. Dunn . u Success! Why, I was devilish near get¬ 
ting the side of my head slapped off for impertinence. 
The lady was highly insulted, and hasn’t spoken to me 
since. I believe Mr. Blackwell Magog to be an impos¬ 
tor.” 

At this Mosby cast a serious and reproachful glance at 
the Professor, as^mucli as to say, “ See what mischief you 
have wrought — what snares you have set for our sur¬ 
geon’s feet!” 

Mr. Blackwell Magog (much excited). “ Sir, Dr. Dunn 
is a bungler, and deserves to have his ears boxed. The 
mode is excellent. I have tried it a hundred times, and 
never had it to fail.” 

Mosby (laughing). “ Ah! chief, I see how it is. The 
medicine is good, but the administration has been bad.” 

The Professor was deeply chagrined at the surgeon’s 
discomfiture. It might have the effect of bringing con¬ 
tempt upon science, and that he could not endure. In 
consequence, he took great pains to vindicate his method, 
and throw the whole responsibility of failure on Dr. 
Dunn’s own blundering management. 



A Lecture on Love , Liter ary Entertainments , etc . 269 

7)/’. Dunn (in an ill humor). “ D—n it, Professor, if 
you are not pleased with my handling, you had better 
try it yourself, for I have done forever with Love, consid¬ 
ered as one of the fine arts.” 

The proposition was considered a fair one, and it was 
settled that this lfljgli-priest of love should attempt in 
person to subdue the intractable fair — an attempt the 
more easily made, as he was only known by reputation 
to Dulcebenietta. But the Professor, ever a devoted 
spouse, stipulated, as was right, that “ Bob” should first 
give her consent. 

On our return to Fauquier, I was sent as embassador 
to solicit the concurrence of Mrs. Blackwell Magog, after 
explaining and unfolding all the circumstances of the 
case. Arrayed in my best clothes, I accordingly proceed¬ 
ed to “ Heartland,” where I had been often before, but 
never on so absurd a business as this. But it was not 
until I was seated in Mr. Blackwell Magog’s parlor, and 
had sent up my name to his wife, that the full sense of 
the awkwardness of my position broke upon me. The 
proposition of which I was the bearer was not only ri¬ 
diculous and unusual, but might be regarded as positive¬ 
ly disrespectful. Often did I wish that I had left the 
business with Dr. Dunn and his instructor, and heartily 
repented of the part which I had agreed to play. But 
how vain are regrets! They serve only to plague and 
unnerve a man. 

While my mind was thus engaged, the lady entered, 
leading by the hand her bright-eyed daughter, little 
Mad^e. Her smile was so bright and good-humored 
that I thought Mr. Blackwell Magog, of all men, might af¬ 
ford to erect his altar at home, and abandon his scientif¬ 
ic pursuits. With as much delicacy and skill as I could 
command, I explained to the lady the object of my mis¬ 
sion, and I dare say that never, in the whole range of di- 




270 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

plomacy, was an affair so awkwardly managed. But Mrs. 
Blackwell Magog, as soon as she comprehended the scope 
of the business, instead of betraying anger, only laughed 
gayly, and without hesitation consented to the arrange¬ 
ment. She knew, she said, her husband’s devotion to 
science, and nothing could induce h?r to be an impedi¬ 
ment to its progress. I was charmed, and thought Mrs. 
Blackwell Magog not only one of the most attractive la¬ 
dies in Mosby’s Confederacy, but one of the most sensi¬ 
ble. As I rose to depart, however, the lady carelessly re¬ 
marked that she had a single condition to annex to her 
consent. I respectfully bowed, and inquired the nature 
of that sole condition. She replied, 

“ I stipulate that, in my husband’s absence, I too shall 
be allowed to amuse myself with love considered as one 
of the fine arts.” I bowed again and departed, but 
much believing that the condition would greatly impair 
the value of the concession. So it proved; for when I re¬ 
ported the result of my embassage to the Professor, he ex¬ 
claimed, in a loud voice, 

“No, sir, no, sir, I’ll be d—d if I consent to any such 
arrangement. The science of love was only designed for 
young ladies. Do you suppose I’ll consent to have a 
score of these palming puppies sighing and making love 
to Mistress Blackwell Magog ? Zounds, no! But I can’t, 
for the life of me, think how Bob got such notions in her 
head. Egad ! I must be getting home. By the Lord 
Harry, it’s my opinion, if this war doesn’t stop, every thing 
will be ruined—yes, sir, turned upside down, and there 
will be nothing left worth fighting for.” 

Munson. “But, chief, where is your respect for sci¬ 
ence % You don’t stick to your own principles, man.” 

Mr. Blackwell Magog. “ D—n your principles; they 
weren’t made for married women.” 

So saying, the Professor posted off to look after his 
domestic interests. 




Raiding on Phil Sheridan's Communications. 271 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 

4 

RAIDING ON PHIL SHERIDAN’S COMMUNICATIONS. 

Upper Fauquier, August 18th, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— About the 1st of August, Company u E,” 
of the Partisan Battalion, was organized. Adjutant Sam 
Chapman was, after the fashion in “Mosby’s Confederacy,’ 1 
elected captain; Fountain Beattie first lieutenant; Wil¬ 
lie Martin second lieutenant; and Ben Palmer junior sec¬ 
ond lieutenant—all gallant soldiers, and worthy of the 
confidence reposed in them by their commander. 

About the 8th of August Mosby crossed into the Val¬ 
ley, and learned from a citizen that Sheridan was in 



CArTAIN CHAPMAN. 




272 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

i 

Early’s front, with his lines extending from Berryville to 
Summit Point. The first night he spent with his men 
concealed in a deep ravine in a dense wood, and the next 
morning went on a scout, with a small party, along Sher¬ 
idan’s rear, from which he returned bringing a lieutenant 
and six prisoners. Having ascertained the exact situa¬ 
tion of general head-quarters, which were in a house in 
rear of the army, and several hundred yards distant from 
any formidable force, Mosby determined to capture him. 
At a distance of three hundred yards from the house he 
left the command, and went forward to reconnoitre. He 
discovered camp-fires blazing all around the head-quar¬ 
ters, and selected John Hearn, on account of his coolness 
and intrepidity, to ascertain the strength of the force. 
Hearn proceeded cautiously, until, leaping a fence, he found 
himself in the midst of six sleeping soldiers, near whom 
stood an infantry sentinel, who demanded his name. 
Hearn replied, still advancing, that he was in search of a 
New York regiment to which he belonged, and, springing 
upon the Yankee, wrenched from him his musket. In 
piteous tones he cried “ Murder, murder,” and the Ran¬ 
ger was compelled to retreat, but brought off the gun as 
a trophy. In consequence of this misadventure, which 
roused the camp, Mosby was forced to abandon his enter¬ 
prise. During the night he returned to Fauquier, leav¬ 
ing the command in the Valley with Richards, who the 
next day captured a captain and thirteen men; but the 
enemy discovering his presence in their midst, he was in 
turn compelled to retire. 

About the middle of August Colonel Mosby again 
sent Captain Richards to the Valley with twenty-eight 
men. He selected a position on the turnpike leading 
from Charlestown to Berryville, along which Sheridan 
communicated with his depot of supplies at Harper’s 
Feny. 


Raiding on Phil Sheridan's Communications. 273 

In a short time, two men, coming from toward Berry- 
ville, were captured, but one of them proved to be a citi¬ 
zen, and was released, while the other, a reporter for the 
New York Tribune , although a non-combatant, was kept 
in custody. Richards again started to go to the turnpike, 
but was arrested by hearing the most heart-rending cries 
proceeding from the direction of his command. In haste 
he returned, and found the cause of the disturbance to be 
as follows: Puryear, having thoroughly searched the re¬ 
porter, or “ gone through him,” in the technical language 
of the battalion, had thus addressed him: “Now, sir, 
which do you prefer, to be hung or shot?” The idea 
that he was in the hands of the guerrillas, and about to 
be executed for being a Yankee, had then flashed upon 
the reporter’s mind, and caused him to utter cries of dis¬ 
tress. But Richards told him that, although the crime 
of his nativity was certainly a great one, he should not be 
murdered for it if he would keep quiet, which assurance 
so excited the .captive’s gratitude that he informed his 
deliverer that twelve of his countrymen would soon be 
along, and that if he would “ lie snug” he could get them 
all. Soon, in confirmation of the reporter’s words, Cap¬ 
tain J. S. Walker, a bearer of dispatches, and Lieutenant 
Ware, Commissary of the 5 th United States Cavalry, made 
their appearance, with an escort of ten men. Richards, 
to remove any suspicion, advanced to meet them, whist¬ 
ling a song. When very near each other, Captain Walker, 
discovering his mistake, ordered his men to fire, but Cap¬ 
tain Richards ordered his men to charge. A Yankee 
sergeant and private were killed, and the rest of the par¬ 
ty fled toward Berryville. In the pursuit which followed 
Captain Walker and one private were killed, and Lieu¬ 
tenant Ware and three men captured. 

In Captain Walker’s pocket was found a miniature like¬ 
ness of his bride, with her name and the date of her mar- 

S 


274 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

riage inscribed upon it—sad words when the bridegroom 
lay stark and cold before us. Buck Watkins, touched 
with sympathy, obtained possession of the picture, and 
gave it to a lady, who sent it to Mrs. Walker by the hands 
of a Federal officer. 

Captain Walker’s horse—young, handsome, and well- 
limbed—was presented to Captain Richards, and proved 
to be the fastest horse in the battalion. After the fight 
was over, this animal was running away as fast as possi¬ 
ble, when Willie Martin tried to overtake him. Finding 
it impossible, he ordered an infantry-man ahead of him to 
stop the horse, who promptly obeyed, and held the reins 
until Martin came up, who, to the man’s surprise, ordered 
him to mount and go along with him. 

When the captured property was divided, it was dis¬ 
covered that some lucky fellow had found in Lieutenant 
Ware’s pocket-book five hundred dollars in greenbacks, 
and about an equal amount in drafts. 

As Captain Richards, on his homeward march, halted 
on the side of the Blue Ridge, he saw a column of Fed¬ 
eral cavalry march to the scene of the recent encounter, 
but it was too late, for Mosby’s men were “ over the hills 
and far away.” 

On the 15th of August, Colonel Mosby ordered Lieu¬ 
tenant Glasscock, with fifteen men, to go to the Valley, 
with the view of assailing Sheridan’s communications. 
The result of this expedition was the capture of twenty- 
eight men and horses, and I will now describe the mode 
in which the work was performed. After leaving Kerns- 
town with his men, who had oil-cloths over their shoul¬ 
ders in front and in rear of his column, Glasscock discov¬ 
ered a company of Federals approaching him, but was 
prevented by a bend in the road from ascertaining its 
strength. “ If they’re too many for us, we’ll pass them; 
if not, we’ll demand a surrender,” said he; and added, 


Raiding on Phil Sheridan's Communications. 275 

“Now, boys, I’ll show you how to capture Yankees.” 
Just then two men from the column came forward, with 
drawn pistols and threatening looks, to see whom they 
were meeting. But Glasscock laughed at the idea of his 
men being suspected of being rebels, and passed on to 
the main body. As he came up, the commanding officer 
exclaimed, “Holloa, boys, I took you for Johnnies.” “No, 
indeed,” replied Glasscock, “Uncle Sam never had truer 
soldiers.” By this time he had reached the rear of the 
enemy’s column, and his men were ranged along its flanks. 
With a simultaneous movement, the Bangers presented 
their pistols, and demanded and received a surrender 
from the entire party. These captures were all made 
without firing a shot, or the enemy being aware of Glass¬ 
cock’s presence on the turnpike. The soldiers were miss¬ 
ed from their command, but whether they had been kill¬ 
ed, captured, or had deserted, who could tell ? 

While Sheridan was still drawing his supplies from 
Harper’s Ferry over the turnpike which passes through 
Berryville, Mosby determined, with his battalion re-en¬ 
forced by two howitzers, to strike that line of communi¬ 
cation, and compel the Federal officer to make a retro¬ 
grade movement, it might be at a critical time. After 
crossing the Shenandoah, a scout informed him that a 
wagon-train was then moving through Berryville in the 
direction of Harper’s Ferry. Halting the command a few 
miles from that place, Mosby, with two men, proceeded 
to the turnpike, which he struck a mile from Berryville 
toward Bippon. Here he dismounted, and leaving the 
horses in the custody of one man, with the other went to 
inspect more closely the train which was then on that 
section of the road. But he discovered, in addition to the 
down train already spoken of, an up train heavily loaded 
with supplies. Without delay the battalion was brought 
up, with the intention of attacking both trains. When 


276 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

it arrived, however, day had dawned, and the down train 
had entirely passed out of hearing. But the richest prize 
was still where Mosby had left it, though in the act of 
moving off. 

The first act was to dispatch John Russell, with a party 
of eight men, to capture what he supposed was a picket, 
but which proved to be a broken-down wagon, around 
which were gathered a wagon-master and his assistants, 
who were taken prisoners, and, with their mules, conduct¬ 
ed to Mosby. From them he learned that the train con¬ 
sisted of one hundred and fifty wagons, and that it was 
guarded by two hundred and fifty cavalry, and a brigade 
of infantry, under the command of Brigadier General John 
R. Rentz, of Maryland. The infantry was disposed, they 
said, principally in front and rear, but was also strung 
along the train in the proportion of a company to about 
every ten wagons. 

The artillery, supported by Company D, under com¬ 
mand of Lieutenant Glasscock, was now posted on an em¬ 
inence in full view of the turnpike, and not more than a 
quarter of a mile from it. Captain Richards, with the first 
squadron, and a piece of artillery in charge of Lieutenant 
Fray, was sent toward Berryville, while Chapman, with 
the second squadron, was drawn up in line of battle to 
the right of the gun. 

The signal for the attack was to be three shots from 
the howitzer. The first scattered a body of cavalry; the 
second exploded among the wagons, producing great 
confusion; and at the third the two squadrons dashed 
forward, soon joined by Company “ D.” Up to this time, 
so complete was the delusion as to our character, that 
while Richards’s men were drawn up in readiness to exe¬ 
cute their part of the plan, several Federal officers rode 
to an eminence in front of him to witness, as they thought, 
the artillery practice. 


Raiding on Phil Sheridan's Communications. 277 

When Richards charged, a company of infantry jnst at 
that point sprang to their feet, fired a volley, which se¬ 
verely wounded Sergt. Ned Rector, and then scattered. 
Dashing furiously on toward Berryville, he created the 
greatest alarm and confusion among the wagons, their driv¬ 
ers and attendants, and rode over and through several com¬ 
panies of infantry. Arrived at Berryville, instead of en 
tering the town, he cut across the angle formed by the 
road leading from Harper’s Ferry to Berryville, and the 
one which leads from Berryville to Winchester, both of 
which were occupied by the moving train, striking the 
latter a few hundred yards from Berryville, and cutting 
off about twenty wagons, with their guard. But, not sat¬ 
isfied with this handsome result, Captain Richards con¬ 
tinued the charge nearly a mile toward Winchester, spread¬ 
ing consternation as he went. But at this point he was 
driven back by a volley from the enemy’s advance-guard, 
who were posted behind a stone fence, and commanded 
by General Rentz in person. As he was falling back 
across the angle, a volley proceeding from a brick church 
a little out of Berryville, toward Charlestown, arrested his 
attention. He discovered that a party of infantry, which 
he had cut off by his dash to the Winchester road, had 
taken refuge in this building, and had fired upon a party 
of Rangers who were passing in charge of a large number 
of prisoners, horses, and mules, and killing Welby Rector, 
wounding another man, and scattering the whole party. 
Lieutenant Fray, with his howitzer not far distant from 
the spot, was now ordered to open fire on the church, 
which compelled the enemy soon to evacuate it, and fall 
back in the direction of their advance-guard. While this 
was being done, Lieutenant Willie Martin, with that au¬ 
dacious courage which on all occasions he is ready to dis¬ 
play, rode boldly into the midst of the retreating party, 
and disarming a mounted officer, conducted him to Cap- 


278 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

tain Richards, while his men, in dumb amazement, wit¬ 
nessed the exploit, but showed no disposition to inter¬ 
fere. 

Chapman struck a point on the turnpike opposite the 
position which his squadron occupied, where there were 
about one hundred and fifty infantry. These, surprised 
by the suddenness of the onset, took refuge in gulleys 
and behind fences. But a portion of them retreated to 
an orchard in the vicinity, and, being there re-enforced, 
made a stand. Chapman at once charged the combined 
party, and routed them without difficulty, but in the 
charge lost Lewis Adie, of Leesburg, a young soldier of 
the highest promise. As soon as this resistance was over¬ 
come, it was reported to the captain that a drove of sev¬ 
eral hundred beeves was following the wagons, which he 
at once took possession of and sent off. 

Mosby had remained with the piece of artillery which 
opened the fight, to superintend operations in both direc¬ 
tions, and to send off the prisoners and spoil to Castle- 
man’s Ferry as fast as they were reported to him. As 
soon as the work had been accomplished, he issued an or¬ 
der for the destruction of the wagons, and a scene of the 
liveliest interest was soon presented, for it was the rich¬ 
est prize that the partisans had ever captured. Among 
the articles tumbled out on the road was a box, which 
contained, as we afterward learned to our distress, a mil¬ 
lion of dollars, designed for the payment of Sheridan’s 
troops, but it was overlooked by the men in the scramble 
for officers’ trunks. The next day its owners sent and 
took possession of it. As soon as the wagons were in 
flames the command moved off toward the Ferry; but 
Mosby, with a rear-guard, remained at Berryville until 
the enemy cautiously approached the town. 

Among the captured articles were a number of violins, 
and it was a droll sight to witness the rude attempts of 


Again in Sheridan's Rear . 


279 


the Rangers, as they moved off,playing, as they said, Dixie 
“ for General Sheridan to dance to.” 

By this brilliant success Mosby secured three hundred 
prisoners, seven hundred mules and horses, which were 
sold to General Lee’s quartermaster, and two hundred and 
thirty cattle, half of which was presented to General Lee 
for the use of his army, while the rest were put to pas¬ 
ture in Fauquier, and served out to the command.* But 
the chief advantage derived from the blow which had 
been struck was, that Sheridan’s army was compelled to 
fall back from Strasburg to Winchester, and to subsist on 
short rations for a week. 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

AGAIN IN SHERIDAN’S REAR. 

Upper Fauquier, August 24th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —Lieutenant Sam Chapman having been 
promoted to the command of Company “E,” it became 
necessary to organize an artillery company. The officers 
—appointed by Mosby, of course, under the mask of an 

election — were, Peter Frankland, Captain; - Fray, 

First Lieutenant; John Page, Second Lieutenant; Frank 
Rahm, Junior Second Lieutenant. 

I will now resume the account of Mosby’s assaults 
upon General Sheridan’s line of communication. On the 
19th of August, with two hundred and fifty men, he 
crossed the Shenandoah at Castleman’s Ferry, where he 

* The amount of captures given above is accurate, although it 
exceeds the amount reported by Mosby to General Lee, for the rea¬ 
son that the dispatch was forwarded by John Munson the same 
night from Rectortown, while many horses, mules, and cattle were 
brought in afterward which had strayed on the way. 




280 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

was informed by Jim Wiltshire, who had been sent in 
advance on a scout to Berryville, that there was a brigade 
of Federal cavalry camped at that town, with a picket 
thrown out within a mile of Castleman’s Ferry. In con¬ 
sequence of this information, Mosby divided his command 
into three parts. “ C,” “ D,” and “ E,” were assigned to 
Captain William Chapman, with orders to operate on the 
section of the turnpike between Berryville and Bippon. 
Company “B” he assigned-to Captain Richards, to whom 
was allotted that portion of the road between Bippon 
and Charlestown, while he reserved Company “ A” for his 
own command, and that part of the road between Charles¬ 
town and Harper’s Ferry.* This partition of the command 
was resorted to because it was too large to be kept to¬ 
gether in safety in the midst of the hostile army, and 
particular sections were assigned to particular officers for 
the twofold purpose of prolonging the line of attack and 
of preventing collisions during the night. 

Having received his instructions, Captain Chapman 
marched his command to the house of a citizen in the 
neighborhood, from which Mountjoy, with a party, was 
sent to acquire farther information about the position of 
the enemy, while he went on a similar expedition. Mount- 
joy soon returned, having recruited for the night’s serv¬ 
ice six estrays from the 6th Virginia Cavalry. But 
Chapman’s scout was more adventurous. He attempted 
to capture the picket before referred to, but the man, who 
belonged to the 7 th Michigan Cavalry, refused to surren¬ 
der, and was in consequence killed—an event which you 
will presently see was fraught with the most calamitous 
consequences to several families in the neighborhood. 

Having rejoined his command, it was moved to a posi¬ 
tion near the turnpike which leads from Berryville to the 
Ferry, with the purpose of assailing a cavalry patrol 
which often passed to the river. From this point Captain 



281 


Again in Sheridan's Hear. 

Chapman, taking with him Hefflebower and another, pro¬ 
ceeded to the house of Hefflebower’s father, not far from 
the cavalry camp near Berry ville, in order to obtain addi¬ 
tional information. There he fell in with three Yankees, 
upon whom he imposed himself for a provost guard, and 
captured them without resistance. On his route with 
the prisoners back to the command, as he passed near the 
house of Colonel Josiah Ware, a party of Yankees who 
were there saw him, and immediately started in pursuit. 
This accident saved that beautiful mansion, for it had 
been already fired by these men, who being thus divert¬ 
ed, the family were enabled to extinguish the flames. 

Not long after this adventure, Captain Chapman saw 
smoke and flames bursting from the house of Mr. Prov¬ 
ince McCormick, distant about two miles. He hastened 
to the spot, and was informed that it had been fired by a 
detachment of Federal soldiers, acting under an order 
which condemned to the flames five of the best houses in 
that neighborhood belonging to Southern sympathizers, 
as a retaliation for the death of the picket who had been 
shot the previous night. The Rangers were soon brought 
up, and the command started on the track of the burners. 
When they reached the residence of Mr. Sowers, which 
had likewise been embraced by the cruel order, the roof 
had fallen in, and the ladies and children of the family 
were gathered in a corner of the yard, exposed to the 
falling rain. The forlorn ladies, as soon as they saw Mos- 
by’s men, dried their tears, and with exclamations of 
vengeance urged them to follow quickly the inhuman 
Yankees who had just destroyed their home. 

“Smite and spare not,” they cried,“for, though we have 
lost our home, we are still for the South—yes, as true as 
ever.” The effect of this appeal, added to the piteous 
spectacle before them, maddened the soldiers. As they 
galloped off they shouted, “No quarter, no quarter to-day.” 



282 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

The elegant and hospitable residence of Colonel Mor¬ 
gan stood at the distance of half a mile, and was already 
fired when Chapman’s men approached. The incendia¬ 
ries, numbering ninety, were still on the ground, and, 
when they saw the hand of vengeance uplifted to strike 
them, hastily formed their ranks to receive the attack. 
They were charged with fierce impetuosity, and immedi¬ 
ately broke, every man seeking safety in flight. The 
Partisans pursued them for a mile, and then returned to 
put to death all the prisoners who had been taken, and 
all the wounded who had fallen by the way. Twenty- 
nine Federal soldiers thus perished, victims of the bloody 
code of retaliation. 

Leaving the dead to bury the dead, the Rangers, with 
their captured horses, arms, and equipments, recrossed the 
Shenandoah at Berry’s Ferry. As they ascended the 
mountain, it was discovered that a solitary prisoner had 
escaped the fate of his comrades. Mountjoy, who remem¬ 
bered those houseless ladies and his oath of vengeance, 
demanded that this man, too, should pay the forfeit. He 
was accordingly conducted deeper in the forest, and or¬ 
dered to prepare for death. It was a solemn spectacle 
to see this brave young soldier kneel in the solitude of 
the mountain, and pour forth a fervent prayer to the 
Great Father to pardon his sins and forgive his own offi¬ 
cer, whom he regarded, he said, as the true author of his, 
death. The young man then rose slowly to his feet, and, 
tearing open his shirt, with unquailing eye received the 
fatal shot. An accusing spirit flew up to heaven with 
an appeal to the good God against the atrocious deeds 
perpetrated in this war. In his report to General Lee of 
this affair, Mosby says, “ They returned with thirty horses, 
and no prisoners.” 

We will now accompany Captain Richards on his noc¬ 
turnal expedition. At Myerstown, in the character of a 


283 


Again in Sheridan's Rear. 

Federal officer, lie roused a citizen from his bed, and from 
him learned that Sheridan’s army was then camped at 
the turnpike between Eippon and Charlestown. He then 
resolved to enter the Federal encampment, and carry off, 
if possible, the general, thus severing from its huge trunk 
one of the strongest limbs of the Northern army. It was 
a bold conception, but, under the favor of night, what 
might not strong nerves, directed by a cool head, accom¬ 
plish ? At all events, Captain Dolly meant to try it, and 
play a game with Fortune. When within a mile of 
the turnpike he halted Company “B,” and, with eleven 
picked men, advanced cautiously toward the sleeping 
army. Passing through a wood, he was halted by a sen¬ 
tinel, to whom he advanced on foot, and represented him¬ 
self to be in command of a detachment of the 21st New 
York Cavalry, with whom he had been on a scout toward 
the Shenandoah. 

“Does that satisfy you?” he added, in a tone of injured 
innocence at having his flag called in question. 

“ Yes,” replied the Yankee, “ you are all right.” 

The adventurous party entered the camp of the 19th 
New York, but could not ride through it, so thickly were 
the wearied soldiers strewn over the ground. Kichards 
then determined to return and penetrate the camp at 
another point. As they passed the sentinel, Lieutenant 
Willie Martin, in a stern voice, ordered him to hold his 
gun properly, and added, “ That’s no way for a man to 
stand on duty.” Very much to the amusement of the 
Confederates, he at once assumed the position of a soldier. 
Continuing his search for the officers’ quarters, Captain 
Richards stopped at Roper’s house, near the turnpike, and, 
observing the yard full of sleeping soldiers, roused one 
of them, and inquired if he could tell him where to find 
head-quarters. But the man knew nothing;, so he pro¬ 
ceeded to the turnpike, hoping to meet with better for- 


284 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

tune. There, representing his party to be the provost- 
guard, he arrested a straggler from the 7th Michigan 
Cavalry, and compelled him to go with him. The pris¬ 
oner stated that he had passed along the turnpike through 
the entire army without being halted, and Richards de¬ 
termined to try the same experiment. He again entered 
the camp of the 19th Corps, resolved this time to try his 
luck with an officer, who might with more reason be sup¬ 
posed to be able to direct him to head-quarters. But, as 
the Partisans were about to enter an opening in a wood, 
where Richards supposed, from seeing tents and horses, 
that he would find an officer, the prisoner, who had dis¬ 
covered that he w T as in the hands of the enemy, put 
spurs to his horse, and rode into an infantry regiment 
asleep on the road-side, and exclaimed,“Wake up ! wake 
up ! the rebels are among you.” In an instant the Ran¬ 
gers wheeled their horses and galloped from the camp to 
rejoin their company, which, with all haste, was conducted 
to a place of safety. Thus, by ah accident—the fruitful 
cause of so many miscarriages in military life—this bold 
enterprise was thwarted, and Richards thought it pru¬ 
dent to relinquish for the time farther operations. At 
the residence of Mr. Henry Castleman, where Mosby’s 
men are always received with a cordial welcome, he stop¬ 
ped with a few of his men, and fortunately in time to 
capture four Yankees who had just begun to pillage the 
house. 

When Richards’s company had reached a place of safe¬ 
ty, it was discovered that Harry Shaw’s horse was with¬ 
out saddle or rider; but he afterward made his appear¬ 
ance, and gave the following account of his adventures. 
He had been thrown in attempting to leave the camp, 
and while on the ground was run over by a horse and 
left senseless. When consciousness returned he found 
himself in the midst of an army, which had been suddenly 


Again in Sheridan's Hear . 


285 


aroused from sleep by the cry “ The rebels are upon you.” 
Drums were beating, bugles were sounding, officers were 
calling loudly to their men to fall into line, while the con¬ 
fusion was increased by excited men rushing about, and 
by one hundred and fifty cavalry galloping to the turn¬ 
pike. It w^as a novel situation for one of Mosby’s men, 
but Harry Shaw was just the one to cope with it. He 
mingled freely with the Yankees, and talked loudly, un¬ 
til, seeing an opportunity to escape, he rushed by a senti¬ 
nel, who took him, it might be, for a ghastly apparition, 
and made his way the house of Mr. Roger Chew. He 
was met at the door by the fair Miss Jennie, known in 
the battalion as the Rose of the Valley. To her he made 
known his sad plight, and was conducted to a surgeon by 
chance in the house, who rendered him the needful assist¬ 
ance. 

Now we will follow Mosby. Having ordered Lieut¬ 
enant Hatcher to report to him the next morning at 
Mr. Chew’s, at the appointed hour Mosby was on the 
spot, and, declining an invitation from the ladies to take 
breakfast, said, “ I have a piece of work on hand, but aft¬ 
er it is done I shall pass this way, and will call and take 
a cup of coffee.” With six men he rode across the coun¬ 
try to Roper’s, where Richards had stopped the previous 
night, and found there three horses tied to the gate. As 
there was some difficulty in gaining admittance through 
the front door, two of the Rangers ran around the house. 
Wiltshire advanced upon and captured a party who were 
buying butter and eggs from Mrs. Roper. O’Bannon saw, 
through a window in the basement story, five cavalry-men 
seated at breakfast with the family. With a gallantry 
that belongs to the Stonewall Brigade, with which he had 
served at the first Manassas, he bounded, with a cocked 
pistol, through the casement, looking like a gladiator in a 
den of lions. The boldness of the exploit carried with it 


286 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

the means of safety, for the Yankees, supposing them¬ 
selves surrounded, quietly slipped off their arms and sur¬ 
rendered themselves prisoners of war. Meanwhile Mos¬ 
by, accompanied by Carlisle and Dan Thomas, had, in 
sight of a brigade of cavalry, charged and dispersed 
twelve infantry in the barn-yard. He then, according to 
agreement, returned to Mr. Chew’s, where he subdivided 
the company among Hatcher, Wiltshire, and himself. 
These parties then dispersed, and after oj^erating actively 
on the outposts of the enemy, returned to Fauquier. As 
Captain Richards was returning, an event occurred which 
threw a gloom over the battalion. Lieutenant Willie 
Martin was shot by an accidental discharge of a pistol in 
the hands of one of his comrades. He was buried in L T p- 
perville, regretted alike by citizens and soldiers. Mosby 
attended the funeral, and was deeply moved when he 
saw the earth close over the gallant officer. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 

CAPTAIN BLAZER’S DEFEAT OF LIEUTENANT NELSON. 

Upper Fauquier, September 5th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —I will now resume the account of our 
oj^erations in the Valley. Sheridan’s army was lying be¬ 
tween Charlestown and Berryville. General Torbert, who 
commanded the Federal cavalry on that theatre of the 
war, had been sent up the Valley in the direction of Front 
Royal, supported by a corps of infantry. On the 25th of 
August the battalion rendezvoused at Rectortown, when 
Mosby made the following dispositions: Mountjoy, with 
Company D, he ordered to cross at Berry’s Ferry, for the 
purpose of harassing Torbert’s^ rear; Captain Sam Chap¬ 
man, with the 2d squadron, was sent to operate between 



Captain Blazer's Defeat of Lieutenant Nelson . 287 

Berryville and Millwood, while Mosby, with the 1st 
squadron, under command of Captain Richards, proceed¬ 
ed to cross the Blue Ridge at Wormley’s Gap. We will 
now follow these detachments in the order in which they 
have been mentioned. When Captain Mountjoy reached 
Berry’s Ferry, he was prevented from crossing the river 
by the presence of the enemy’s cavalry. Captain Sam 
Chapman, however, succeeded in crossing at Sheppard’s 
Mill, near which he camped for the night. From thence 
he sent Lieutenant Russell to Berryville, who returned 
about eleven o’clock, bringing the information that a 
large body of Federal cavalry had marched through the 
town in the direction of Front Royal, accompanied by 
wagons and ambulances. Early the next morning, with 
Henry Kerfoot for a guide, Chapman marched to his allot¬ 
ted scene of action, and halted his squadron within a mile 
of Berryville. From that point Kerfoot was sent on a 
scout toward Milwood, while Chapman, with a party, en¬ 
tered General Kershaw’s lines, which were established 
near Berryville. He was there informed more accurately 
of the movements of the enemy—that their cavalry, as 
we have already seen, had passed up the day before, but 
that General R. H. Anderson, with Kershaw’s division, 
had intercepted the 8th Infantry corps as it attempted to 
follow, and that a fight had ensued, in which the latter 
were repulsed and pushed back several miles. Chapman 
at once determined to follow the enemy’s cavalry, and 
with that intent rejoined his squadron. At White’s burn¬ 
ed shop, not more than a quarter of a mile from his ren¬ 
dezvous in the woods, he met General Torbert s advance- 
guard, the 6th New York Cavalry \ that officer, when he 
reached White Post, hearing the sound of cannon, and 
seeing that his infantry support had not followed him, 
had determined to rejoin General Sheridan. As soon as 
he had satisfied himself that no other troops were in sup- 



288 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

porting distance of this force, Chapman at once resolved 
to charge them. They were marching in a column of 
four, with a considerable body of skirmishers on the flank 
next to their assailants, and had no time to change their 
formation before they were attacked by the squadron in 
line of battle, Chapman leading Company “ C,” and Beat- 
tie Company “E.” The Yankees did not withstand this 
impetuous assault, but slowly retreated. Their officers 
could be distinctly heard to say, “ Fall back to the woods; 
we will give them h—11 there.” But Chapman and Beat- 
tie pressed them so closely that, by the time they gained 
the desired point, the column had been thrown into con¬ 
fusion, and the retreat was suddenly checked by the in¬ 
terposition of a high fence, through which a gate furnish¬ 
ed the only means of escape. The pursuit was kept up 
for a mile, and resulted in the capture of thirty prisoners 
and forty horses. 

The loss of the squadron was severe. Jarman and 
Iden were killed, and Clay Adams and the brave Lieu¬ 
tenant Fox were mortally wounded. The fight was 
scarcely over when the main body of Torbert’s command 
came in sight; but, upon receiving a few shells from An¬ 
derson’s batteries, they flanked off toward Charlestown, 
where they encountered Mosby, of whose movements I 
will now give you an account. 

With the 1st squadron, after passing through Snickers- 
ville, he proceeded to cross the Blue Bidge at Wormley’s 
Gap, with the intention of camping in the Valley, but 
was compelled, by the darkness and a storm of rain, to 
stop all night on the mountain. The next morning he 
crossed the Gap, and halted the command near Myers’s 
Ford, where it was left in cjiarge of Lieutenant Nelson, 
and with a detachment of fifteen men crossed the river. 
This done, the detachment was divided, Richards being 
sent with six men to inspect the turnpike at Rippon, 


Captain Blazer's Defeat of Lieutenant Nelson. 289 

while Mosby, with nine men for a similar purpose, went 
to the section of the road between Charlestown and Har¬ 
per’s Ferry, on which, to use his own language, he found 
u plenty of game.” In consequence of this discovery, he 
sent Harry Heaton and Kennon with orders to Nelson to 
bring uj3 the squadron. 

Richards had not advanced more than a mile when he 
came to a grove where Captain Blazer, with ninety men, 
had camped the night before, and, following his trail, dis¬ 
covered that he had crossed the river three miles farther 
up. He at once returned to the squadron, from which 
he detached Company “ B,” and with it went in pursuit 
of Blazer. Finding, however, that Blazer had taken the 
mountain road to Snickersville, he relinquished the pur¬ 
suit, and sending Company “ B” to rejoin Lieutenant Nel¬ 
son, with a detail of ten men started again for Rippon. 

• At Snickersville Blazer was informed that Mosby had 
passed the evening before, going in the direction of 
Wormley’s Gap. At once he started in pursuit of him, 
and when he had arrived within a mile of Myers’s Ford, 
was informed by a citizen that Nelson, with one company, 
was there encamped, for the citizen was not aware of the 
return of Company “ B” to the command. Captain Blaz¬ 
er was in high spirits at the prospect of surprising a sin¬ 
gle company with ninety men. He considered that he 
was playing at certainties, and the result proved the 
opinion to be true. It was midday, and Nelson’s men 
were lying around, some sleeping, some amusing them¬ 
selves \vith games, while many, with a feeling of blind 
security, had, contrary to orders, taken the saddles from 
their horses, when Blazer charged among them. Assist¬ 
ed by Sergeant Johnson, who was in command ot 
Company “ B,” Nelson attempted to rally and form the 
squadron, but in vain, for Blazer, who had opened the 
fight with his seven-shooting rifles, was pressing close 

T 


290 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

upon them. Nelson, in this extremity, preserved his 
well-earned reputation as a soldier. He placed himself 
at the head of twenty-five men, and charged into the 
midst of the assailants, driving them back. But Blazer 
soon rallied his men, and led them again to the charge. 
At this critical juncture Nelson was severely wounded in 
the thigh, and was compelled to retire to the rear—a 
movement which the men construed into an abandonment 
of the fight. They, in consequence, gave way, and in a 
headlong flight rushed through Wormley’s Gap, and de¬ 
scended into Eastern Virginia near the residence of Mr. 
Jonah Osborne. In this fight Nelson’s loss was Mallory 
and M‘Quinn killed, Wolfe badly wounded, and Corporal 
George Skinner, Dick Moran, Willie Flinn, and several 
others captured. 

Captain Blazer, in the hour of his triumph, proved him¬ 
self to be a gentleman, as well as a soldier, by the human¬ 
ity and courtesy which he extended to his prisoners. 

In the mean time, Captain Richards had taken a posi¬ 
tion in a wood near Rippon, where the turnpike present¬ 
ed a similar condition of things to that which Mosby 
found lower down—wao;on-trains and ambulances mov- 
ing without guards or with insufficient escorts. He was 
about to attack one of these trains, when the ladies re¬ 
siding in a house near by implored him to desist, for the 
Yankees, when Captain Walker was killed at the same 
point, had sworn that if another attack were made by 
Mosby’s men in that vicinity the citizens should all be 
burned out. These entreaties induced Captain Richards 
to transfer the scene of capture to another point. He 
joined the wagon-master, who was in front, and, drawing 
upon his imagination, entertained him with an account 
of the battle then in progress between Early and Sheri¬ 
dan until they reached a road which turned off toward 
the river. The Yankee was then informed that he was 



Captain Blazer's Defeat of Lieutenant Nelson. 291 

a prisoner, and ordered to move to tlie left, and lie could 
not be persuaded that it was not a joke until a cocked 
pistol was presented to liis head. With twelve mules 
and five prisoners tke Rangers galloped off to Myers’s 
Ford to inform Mosby of tlie unprotected condition of 
Sheridan’s communications. But, instead of finding the 
squadron bitted for an expedition, Captain Richards, when 
he reached the ford, was apprised by a lady and a shot 
from the ojiposite bank of the fate that had overtaken 
Nelson. He therefore moved up the Shenandoah, and 
crossed at Mosby’s Ford on his route to Fauquier. 

After sending off Heaton and Kennon, Mosby left his 
party concealed in a wood, and, with Joe Owens, rode to 
the turnpike. Soon there came from the direction of 
Harper’s Ferry two ambulances, containing fifteen infan- 
try-men on their way to Sheridan’s army, accompanied by 
two cavalry-men. Without resistance they were all cap¬ 
tured, and sent across the river under an escort, which 
left Mosby with only five men. While waiting with this 
reduced party for the appearance of the squadron, a train 
of ambulances, containing furloughed soldiers returning 
to duty, passed on toward Charlestown. Not deeming 
it expedient to assail the train on that part of the road, 
he followed it beyond the town, where, without difficulty, 
he turned it off the road, and proceeded to unhitch the 
teams. 

In this occupation Mosby was assisted by an unusual 
ally—a newsboy whom he had captured before the am¬ 
bulances came in sight. The lad begged to be set at lib¬ 
erty, and was told by Mosby that he would turn him 
loose if he would assist in the capture he was about to 
make. To this proposition he readily assented, and, when 
the work of unhitching the teams was begun, was the 
most efficient man present, for with threatening gestures 
he compelled the prisoners to do the work. At this 



292 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

juncture General Torbert arrived on the scene, and the 
Partisans were compelled to leave their prey, taking off 
with them only eighteen horses and prisoners. The fate 
of the newsboy is not known, though a clever fellow like 
that, ready to turn his hand to any business, doubtless 
made his peace with the Yankees, and is now at his old 
trade again. 

Arrived at Myers’s Ford, Mosby was informed of the 
disaster which had overtaken Nelson, and followed the 
track of the fugitives through Wormley’s Gap, and from 
Mrs. Jonah Osborne learned that they had, in the most 
disorderly manner, after the pursuit by Blazer’s men, 
passed on toward Fauquier. 

Soon after the events which I have just recorded trans¬ 
pired, Brigadier General Chapman, of the Federal army, 
with a brigade of cavalry, crossed the Shenandoah at Cas- 
tleman’s Ferry, and, moving across the mountain, camped 
at Snickersville, from which point he dispatched a body 
of three hundred men to Upperville. On the eastern 
bank of the river he had left fifty men, with orders to 
join him at the expiration of two hours. But, instead 
of complying with this order, they proceeded up the riv¬ 
er bank for several miles, and then by a wolf-path reached 
the crest of the mountain, along which they marched 
until they reached Snicker’s Gap, where they halted to 
await General Chapman. 

Captain William Chapman, as soon as he learned the 
presence of the enemy at Upperville, collected about six¬ 
ty of his men, with whom he pursued the Yankees, who 
by that time were on their return to Snickersville; but, 
failing to overtake them, he, at the Trap, ascended the 
ridge, and on its top struck a cavalry trail, which led him 
to the spot at which the fifty had halted, as already stated. 
As soon as he had reconnoitred the position and discov¬ 
ered the strength of the enemy, he charged them with a 


The Raid to Adamstown . 


293 


yell. They were surprised and fled, some toward the 
river, pursued by Captain Peter Frankland, but most of 
them dashed headlong down the mountain toward the 
Federal camp at Snickersville, hotly pursued by the Ran¬ 
gers. General Chapman from this summer excursion car¬ 
ried back to the V alley five ot his men killed and many 
more wounded, besides leaving behind thirteen prisoners 
and forty horses. The Partisans lost Johnson, of Lees¬ 
burg, mortally wounded, and Hooe and Fletcher taken 
prisoners. 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 

THE RAID TO ADAMSTOWN. 

Upper Fauquier,-. 

Dear Percy, —I will begin my letter to-day by an ac¬ 
count of Lieutenant Nelson’s raid to Adamstown, though 
a little out of the order in which it occurred. The situa¬ 
tion of affairs was as follows: Early was in Maryland. 
The Federal troops had been withdrawn from the Val¬ 
ley, and there was no assailable point to be reached ex¬ 
cept on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad before it cross¬ 
es the Potomac. 

The battalion assembled at Upperville for an expedi¬ 
tion into Maryland. After marching down the Little 
River Turnpike, the men were well-pleased with the or¬ 
der to turn to the left and proceed toward the Potomac. 
About dark Wat Bowie was sent with twelve men in ad¬ 
vance of the battalion to inspect certain fords of the river, 
to ascertain the strength and position of the pickets, and 
at an early hour the next day to report to Mosby at a 
designated point. After an hour’s brisk riding Bowie 
reached the river, and at the house of a lady obtained all 




294 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

the information he desired. She was one of the elect of 
the purest strain, and though compassed about by ene¬ 
mies who would have destroyed her, yet she received 
Bowie and his party with a hospitable welcome, and, after 
supplying grain for their horses, invited them to partake 
of a plentiful supper. A woman’s patriotic devotion, 
when once it is roused,is always the strongest principle of 
her nature; and here this daughter of Virginia, dwelling 
on the remote banks of the Potomac, although within 
sight of Federal pickets, allowed the Confederate scouts 
to sleep in her shrubbery, and at daylight sent them off, 
after having refreshed them with a first-rate Loudoun 
breakfast. Soon after tlie sun had lifted his bright face 
above the mountains of Maryland, Bowie reported to 
Mosby, who, in consequence of the intelligence he had ob¬ 
tained, determined to send only one squadron across the 
river. Lieutenant Nelson was put in command, and or¬ 
dered to proceed to Adamstown, a station on the Balti¬ 
more and Ohio Bailroad a few miles distant. Near the 
village the Bangers broke into a gallop and dashed sud¬ 
denly in upon the affrighted citizens. A store-house was 
soon crowded with soldiers, and a scene of confusion fol¬ 
lowed not easily described. The first impulse of the pro¬ 
prietor was to flee; but soon he returned, for the instinct 
of self-preservation yielded to the instinct of preservation 
of property; but the “ rights of things,” as Mr. Justice 
Blackstone would say, w^ere as little regarded in that 
house as the rights of persons. The more experienced 
of the intruders turned their attention in the outset to 
the money - drawer, while others climbed up on the 
shelves and began to toss to partners below merchandise 
of various kinds—rolls of cloth, dress-patterns, hats, bon¬ 
nets, boots, shoes, and bottles of whisky, while yells and 
shrieks added to the wild uproar. In the midst of this 
scene, the proprietor, a pitiable spectacle, was rushing to 




The Raid to Adamstown. 


295 


and fro, now shoved this way, now that; now dodging a 
package of goods, now tumbling over somebody’s pile, and 
loudly protesting that he was a first-rate Southern man, 
and declaring that if his visitors would only stop a min¬ 
ute, he would prove it to their satisfaction. But, unfor¬ 
tunately for him, a box of brass thimbles struck his head 
before this reasonable compromise could be considered, 
and he fell groaning on the floor. As soon as he could 
scramble on his feet again he escaped to the back part of 
the shop, and stood silently weeping. But just as some 
of the men who were loaded with plunder had begun to 
strap it on their horses, Lieutenant Nelson came up, and 
at once changed the aspect of affairs. 

“ Put these things back—right back,” said he, “ every 
one of them. This merchant is a Southern man, and the 
colonel said his goods must not be disturbedand, sec¬ 
onding his words with acts, he dashed from the arms of a 
soldier who stood near him the calicoes and silks with 
which they were filled. The lieutenant then pushed into 
the shop, and, pulling and hauling right and left, soon had 
all the plunder scattered again over the floor. 

“ Now get out of here, every one of you; not an article 
shall be taken from this store unless it is paid for.” 

The law was a hard one, but the concluding part of it 
was construed by some of the men so as to pluck from it 
the sting, for I saw one of them who had reached the door 
turn back and squeeze three hats on his head, leaving his 
old one “ for pay.” He also strapped a parcel of dry 
goods to his saddle, which, with a very innocent manner, 
he said he had paid for according to orders. But this was 
not the only case in which the lieutenant’s order received 
this liberal construction. Johnny Munson, for example, 
left a five dollar Confederate bill on the counter (old is¬ 
sue at that) in payment for merchandise worth several 
hundred dollars in greenbacks. But Joe saw nothing of 


296 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

this, or lie would certainly have made them disgorge. As 
soon as his unexpected auxiliary arrived on the scene of 
action, the weeping proprietor cheered up, and was at once 
all smiles and gratitude. Nothing was too good for his 
new ally. He took him behind the counter and forced 
upon his acceptance a pair of cavalry boots, a fine hat, and 
cloth for a suit of clothes, to say nothing of boxes of col¬ 
lars and cigars. Nor was this all. He uncorked a bottle 
of the best Bourbon whisky, and the two, Lieutenant Joe 
and the merchant, sat down to drink it. Coming on the 
heels of so signal a service, the liquor made them the best 
friends in the world. The merchant threw his arms 
around his deliverer’s neck, and insisted upon introducing 
him to his wife and sister. This was accordingly done, 
and Joe, rubicund with the whisky, made the ladies his 
best Virginia bow. 

“ So daring in love and so dauntless in war, 

Have ye e’er heard of gallant like young Lochinvar.” 

With a sigh of regret, whether for the liquor or the 
lady is not certainly known, Lieutenant Joe left the house 
to look after his fierce guerrillas, to tear down the tele¬ 
graph wires, and then to depart from hospitable Adams- 
town. The little merchant was a sight to gladden the 
heart of a philanthropist as, with a wave of his hand, he 
bade Mosby’s men adieu, he piously hoped, forever. 

Nelson determined to cross the Potomac at a ford a lit¬ 
tle below the mouth of the Monocacy, but, wdien he came 
near it, was informed by a citizen that the Yankees were 
there lying in wait for his party. 

u How many are they ?” inquired the lieutenant. 

“ Only fifty,” was the reply; “ some of them are at the 
ford, but the rest are on the hill near by to surprise you.” 

“ All right,” said Nelson, undismayed. “ Maybe we will 
surprise them.” 


The Raid to Adamstown. 


297 


As soon as tlie position of the ambuscade was recon¬ 
noitred, Harry Hatcher was sent, with a party of twelve 
men, to attack in the rear, while Nelson, it was agreed, 
should march down the road, as if ignorant of its exist- 
ence. The attack of the two parties was to be simulta¬ 
neous ; but, owing to an accident, Hatcher was delayed. 
The Yankees, thinking that Nelson had fallen into their 
trap, fired two volleys at him as he ascended the hill, by 
which Johnny Alexander alone was wounded. They 
had overshot their mark. Hatcher soon broke upon their 
rear, and rarely has such a scattering been seen. Some 
ran down the hill and hid in the bushes, while others 
mounted their horses and struck wildly across the coun¬ 
try. The result of the attack was four of the enemy 
killed, and eight, with their horses, captured. 

A charge on the party at the ford was then ordered, 
but, having witnessed the collision on the hill, they had 
already taken to flight. After a fatiguing pursuit, about 
six of them were taken prisoners. 

Nelson then rejoined Mosby on the Virginia side of 
the river, and reported the result of the expedition. 

u Where are your goods V ’ said the colonel to some of 
the men, who had not availed themselves of the paying 
clause of the lieutenant’s order. The explanation was 
then given, to which Mosby replied, 

“ I gave no such order. That shop-keeper is the worst 
Yankee in Maryland. You ought to have taken every 
thing from him.” These words doubtless eased the con¬ 
science of Munson, but they gave but little comfort to 
the bulk of the command. 

During the absence of Nelson’s squadron two other 
companies had crossed the river, but were attacked by a 
large cavalry force, and only by dint of great exertion, 
both in fighting and retreating, had returned in safety to 
Virginia. 


298 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

MOSBY U GOES THROUGH” THE YANKEES. 

Upper Fauquier, September 22d, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —During tlie last summer Mosby received 
frequent dispatches from General Lee, urging him to pre¬ 
vent any raid from being made from Alexandria on Gor- 
donsville, as his was the only Confederate force in a po¬ 
sition to be interposed for the protection of that place. 
Accordingly, when Sheridan fell back under cover of the 
guns at Harper’s Ferry, he turned his attention to Fair¬ 
fax County. About the 1st of September, Mosby sent 
Harry Hatcher, with a detachment, to alarm the outposts 
about Chain Bridge, while, with another detachment, he 
drove in their pickets on other parts of the line, and cap¬ 
tured eleven men and horses. On his return, in company 
with Willie Mosby and John Waller, he was pursued by 
a squad of eight Federals to a point beyond Fairfax 
Court-house. On reaching the top of a hill he halted, 
which induced his pursuers to halt likewise. He then 
requested Dr. Baker, who happened to be passing, to tell 
them to come and get their horses, and at the same time 
to inform them who he was. But the Yankees replied, 
they did not mean to fall into any such d—d trap, and, 
after firing a few shots from their carbines, posted back 
to their command. 

With Company “ A,” Lieutenant Joe Nelson in com¬ 
mand of it, Mosby proceeded to a point between L T nion 
Mills and Centreville, and camped for the night. On the 
march, Walter Whaley, with five men, was sent to capture 
a picket near Alexandria, a duty which he handsomely 



299 


Mosby “ goes through” the Yankees. 

performed, and, with three prisoners and four horses, re¬ 
turned to the command the next morning. Soon after 
his arrival, Lieutenant Nelson, with twenty men, and 
Ab Minor for a guide, was sent to capture two pickets 
stationed on the old Braddock Road, near Alexandria. 
The first of these got notice of the contemplated attack, 
and had retired; but the second, composed of twelve 
men, posted near Triplett’s house, had taken refuge in a 
school-house, having concealed their horses in the pines. 
The school-house was charged; its inmates fled, and, it 
being twilight, all effected their escape except three, who, 
with their horses, were captured. Nelson, having accom¬ 
plished his mission, prepared to return to his command. 
But here an unexpected difficulty intervened. Ab Minor, 
the guide, proved to be the only man present who knew 
nothing of the road, and the consequence was that we 
were all lost in the pines. Now we would follow one 
road and now another, and the farther we marched the 
more our confusion increased. At length, in the midst 
of the bother, our guide drew up his horse, and said if he 
could only find the “ Bone Mill” it would be all right. 
Again we started, every body being on the look-out for 
the “ Bone Mill” — a fixed star that was to guide us 
through all the perplexities of our route. But devil a bit 
could the “Bone Mill” be found, and the consequence w^as 
that we had to lie all night in the pines. Ever after Mi¬ 
nor went by the name of “ Bone Mill” till he shot Bill 
Trammell about it. From that time the joke lost all its 
relish, and our excellent guide was restored to his baptis¬ 
mal appellation. 

When we arrived the next morning at Arundel’s Mos¬ 
by had departed, in consequence of an event which had 
occurred during our absence, which I will now relate. 

As soon as Nelson had set forth, Mosby dispatched 
two scouts, one toward Centreville, the other toward 



300 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Arundel’s. Very soon information was received from 
George Slater and Whaley, who composed the latter par¬ 
ty, that the Yankees had been at Arundel’s searching for 
Mosby, and were still in the neighborhood. In conse¬ 
quence, the command, consisting of thirty-six men, was 
moved thither, and Whaley and Slater were sent forward 
to follow the enemy to Fairfax Station. As the two scouts 
were riding at a lively pace through a body of pines, they 
were bushwhacked by thirteen Federals. Slater was shot 
in the thigh and his horse in the neck, but, notwithstand¬ 
ing, managed to escape with his companion and report 
the adventure. With five sharp-shooters, Mosby, follow¬ 
ed by the command, galloped to the spot, but the birds 
had flown, taking the direction of the Station. They 
were rapidly pursued, and half an hour’s gallop brought 
the Rangers within view of the Catholic church, which 
is situated not far from the station, on the road leading 
to Fairfax Court-house. There they beheld a body of 
one hundred and ten Federal cavalry, composed of two 
detachments, one from the 16th, the other from the 13th 
New York, commanded respectively by Captains Flem¬ 
ing and Minimum. They had started in pursuit of Wal¬ 
ter Whaley in consequence of the capture of the pick¬ 
et near Anandale, and, failing to overtake him, had de¬ 
termined to make a raid into Fauquier or Loudoun. 
When Mosby first came in sight the Yankees were feed¬ 
ing their horses preparatory to the expedition, but were 
quickly formed across the road, with their left flank rest¬ 
ing on the church. The railroad, when it leaves Fairfax 
Station, crosses the country road above referred to, and 
passes, as it approaches the church, through a deep cut of 
some length. Mosby, approaching the railway from the 
direction of Arundel’s and Sangster’s Cross-roads, was 
compelled, by this deep cut, to make a circuit toward the 
Station in order to attack the Federals, which afforded 


MOSBY “GOING THROUGH ’EM 























































































































































































































































302 


-> Partisan Life with Mosby. 

them the opportunity of estimating the number of their 
assailants. After gaining the public road, Mosby closed 
up his ranks, and, rolling up his sleeves, said, “ Men, I want 
you to go right through them.” He was answered by 
loud cheers, and the command sprang forward in the 
charge. The corresponding order of Captain Fleming to 
his men was to fire a volley from their carbines, and then, 
with drawn sabres, to charge. They held their fire until 
the Partisans were within fifty yards of them, and then, 
after firing one volley, broke and fled toward the Court¬ 
house. They were fiercely pursued by Mosby and his 
men, who fired into them at every jump. Before the 
pursuit reached Fairfax Court-house many of the fugitives 
had been wounded and many killed. Among the latter 
was the commanding officer, who, after wounding Frank 
Turner, was shot by Ned Hurst, and had received, before 
he fell to the ground, a bullet also from Johnny Waller. 
When the fugitives reached the Court-house, one of them 
broke off to the right through the grounds of Mr. Thomas, 
hoping in this way to shorten his course to the camp at 
Anandale; but Ames, like the angel of death, was close 
upon him, and with a pistol shot him at the distance of 
thirty yards. 

Captain Minimum throughout the retreat proved him¬ 
self worthy of his rank. From time to time he attempt¬ 
ed, but to no purpose, to rally his men, and bring them 
back to the fight. No; the fear of Mosby wrought with¬ 
in them, whom they feared more than any other living- 
wight. They would not have rallied to the trumpet of 
an archangel. 

While Captain Minimum was engaged in one of these 
fruitless attempts, he was attacked by Whaley and Will 
Anderson with empty pistols, but he drove them off*. 
Then he continued his retreat, but from time to time halt¬ 
ed and fired back at his pursuers, who, having procured 


303 


Mosby “ goes through ” the Yankees. 

loaded revolvers, returned to assail him. But they suc¬ 
ceeded only in making the gallant officer desist from any 
farther attempt to rally his flying soldiers. After the 
pursuit had passed the Court-house, Walter Whaley, who 
had been separated from his antagonist, again attacked 
Captain Minimum, but had his horse killed for his pains. 

The loss of the Federals, besides their wounded, was 
six killed, and thirty-three men and horses captured. 

After the fight was over, a splendid bay horse was seen 
without a rider in one of the open fields. A great effort 
was made by the Bangers to capture the gallant steed, but 
to no purpose. They drove him through the village, but 
the horse, who appeared to have no taste for guerrilla life, 
and a great affection for the “ Constitution and the laws,” 
broke through all barriers. Unable to effect his capture, 
the men next resolved to destroy this fleet-footed animal. 
The chase then became most animated, and many revolv¬ 
ers were emptied. As a bullet would strike him, he 
would bound wildly in the air, and again lead off toward 
the Federal camp. The last that they saw of the gallant 
bay was as he disappeared behind the hills of Fairfax, 
bleeding from many a wound, but his head and tail still 
up. 

About two hours after Mosby had departed a body of 
cavalry arrived from Anandale. As soon as the officer in 
command had ascertained the facts of the recent fight, he 
expressed his indignation, saying, “ Thirty soldiers have 
whipped a hundred cowards.” 

Soon afterward Mosby returned to capture a quarter¬ 
master’s establishment at Falls Church, about three hund¬ 
red yards from which a cavalry brigade was stationed. 
With two men he entered a tent and brought off a butch¬ 
er, who was sleeping near a beef he had killed to issue the 
next morning, and with him a fine pony. He protested 
against moving, supposing that some of his comrades were 


304 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

playing a joke on him; but his captors soon found means 
to convince him of his error. Having discovered the con¬ 
dition of affairs in the camp, and that there were about 
seventy-five horses in an exposed condition, he sent a lieu¬ 
tenant, with a party of men, to bring them off. But, in 
consequence of delay in the execution of this order, the 
camp was alarmed, and the plan defeated. The command 
was then sent back to Fauquier, but Mosby, with Tom¬ 
my Love and Guy Broad waters, lingered at the house 
of a citizen. On their return they met in the turn¬ 
pike, near Centreville, a regiment of Federal cavalry, 
with an advance-guard of seven men. By a feigned re¬ 
treat he induced the latter to follow him for the distance 
of a quarter of a mile, and then turned suddenly upon 
them. Being dressed in full uniform, Mosby was recog¬ 
nized by the Federals, and made a mark for their shots. 
One ball shattered the handle of his pistol; another en¬ 
tered the groin, wounding him so badly that he could with 
difficulty keej3 the saddle. But Broadwaters and Love 
continued the charge, and drove their pursuers back upon 
their column, after killing two of their number. They 
then returned to their commander, and, procuring a light 
wagon in the neighborhood, carried him to the Plains, 
where he was cordially and kindly nursed by the family 
of Major Foster. As soon as it was noised through the 
neighborhood that Mosby lay wounded at the Plains, the 
ladies and gentlemen of the country around flocked to see 
him, and vied with each other in expressions of admiration 
and sympathy for the wounded hero. In a few days he 
was removed to the residence of his father, near Lynchburg. 

A day or two before he was wounded, Colonel Mosby 
had sent to General Lee a report covering his operations 
during the spring and summer. It was forwarded to the 
adjutant and inspector general for the information of the 
department, with the following indorsement: 


Wat Bowie's Adventures . 


305 


“ Attention is invited to the activity and skill of Colonel Mosby, 
and the intelligence and courage of the officers and men of his com¬ 
mand, as displayed in this report. With the loss of little more 
than twenty men, he has killed, wounded, and captured, during the 
period embraced in his report, about twelve hundred of the ene¬ 
my, and taken more than sixteen hundred horses and mules, two 
hundred and thirty beef cattle, and eighty-five wagons and ambu¬ 
lances, without counting many smaller operations. The services 
rendered by Colonel Mosby and his command, in watching and re¬ 
porting the enemy’s movements, have also been of great value. 

“ (Signed), R. E. Lee, General.” 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 

WAT BOWIe’s ADVENTURES. 

Upper Fauquier, September 30th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —The Partisan Battalion is growing apace. 
The feeble germ slowly put forth its tender shoots, but, 
now that the sunlight has fallen upon it, it is spreading 
fast into the vigorous oak. The sixth company, “F,” was 
recently organized at Piedmont, with Walter Franldand, 
of Fauquier, Captain; Walter Bowie, of Maryland, First 
Lieutenant; Ames, of Xew York, Second Lieutenant; and 
Frank Turner, Junior Second Lieutenant. 

In the latter part of February, 1863, in company with 
George Whitescarver and Joe Nelson, Captain Franldand 
was on his way to join Colonel White’s Cavalry, then on 
detached service in Loudoun County, but, when they 
reached Upper Fauquier, they determined, instead, to con¬ 
nect themselves with Mosby, whose reputation then was 
just taking wing. After seeing some service with the 
Partisan leader, he was made quartermaster of the battal¬ 
ion, with the rank of captain, but was returned to field- 
service as captain of the new company. 

With Ames you are already acquainted. 

U 



306 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 



CAPTAIN W. E. FKANKLAND. 


Lieutenant Turner joined Mosby in the fall of 1863, 
and had been designated by him as one of the officers of 
Company “ D,” when he was captured and detained in 
prison until July, 1864. 

The first lieutenant I purposely passed by, that I might 
give you afterward a more extended notice of him. 

When the war broke out between the hostile sections 
of the republic, Lieutenant Bowie was a lawyer in good 
practice in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Obedient to the 
impulses of his nature, as well as to the convictions of 
his understanding, he did not hesitate as to the part he 
would act in that painful conjuncture, and without delay 
joined the Confederate army, but did not join Mosby till 
the spring of 1864. His love of adventure and a certain 
cool daring soon made his name familiar in the battalion, 
and attracted the notice of his commander. His chosen 
field of enterprise was Maryland, and he eagerly sought 



Wat Bowie'S Adventures . 


307 




opportunities to cross the Potomac, with every ford of 
which he was acquainted from Harper’s Ferry to Wash¬ 
ington. He is now dead, and every incident connected 
with his daring career is invested with a melancholy in¬ 
terest. Some of these I will relate, for they illustrate not 
only the character of Bowie, but the qualities which are 
cultivated and admired in the Partisan Battalion. 

During his expeditions to Maryland he had many 
strange adventures and wonderful escapes, for his name 
was well known to the Federals, and they made strenu¬ 
ous exertions to capture him. 

On one occasion, he was passing the night at the house 
of a friend, when it was surrounded by a troop of caval¬ 
ry eager to catch him. As soon as their business was 
known, Bowie commenced to disguise himself by black¬ 
ing his face. He next slipped on the gown of an old and 
faithful cook-worn an, and, tying up his head in her hand¬ 
kerchief, seated himself by her side in the chimney-corner 
as if stupefied with fright. As the day began to dawn, 
the old woman, fearing detection, said to her companion, 

u Come, child, we must go to the spring and get some 
water to cook the white folks’ breakfast.” She then 
picked up a pail, and, giving a bucket to the pretended 
girl, the two moved toward the spring. As they passed 
out of the door one of the Yankees remarked, 

“ That’s a d—d tall nigger.” 

When the cook returned unattended, Mr. Yankee in¬ 
quired for her companion. 

She readily replied, “ How I knows ? You skeered the 
gal so I suppose she done run away.” 

After a close search, the Yankees found Bowie’s hat, 
coat, and pistols, but concluded that, as usual, the eel had 
slipped out of his skin. 

On another occasion he was at a country tavern in 
Maryland, where two Federal soldiers dismounted, and 



308 


* 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

asked for something to drink. The landlord had nothing 
better than apple jack or new dip at the bar. Bowie, 
however, stepped up, and offered his own flask, from 
which the party took a social glass. After some conver¬ 
sation, he bade the officers a courteous farewell, but as he 
did so inquired, 

“ Have you got Wat Bowie yet ?” 

“No,” replied they, “but we will have him before long. 
We know where he is to be this week, and all is fixed 
for his capture.” 

“ All right,” said he. “ Be sure you hold him this 
time, for he is a slippery chap, you know.” 

“ Ah! trust Stanton for that. He will make sure of 
him when he is taken again. Good-by.” And, so say¬ 
ing, the officers rode off. 

In this last remark reference was made to his escape 
from the Old Capitol Prison, the circumstances of which 
I will relate in this connection, as they exemplify, in a 
very striking manner, that self-command in sudden dan¬ 
ger which Nature has bestowed and Partisan life devel¬ 
oped in him. The night was dark as Erebus, and a driz¬ 
zling rain was falling, as he got out on the roof of a wood¬ 
en shed, fourteen feet from the ground. There he rested 
until the sentinel, who paced the street below, had pass¬ 
ed, when he let himself down to the ground, but iff the 
act sprained his ankle. He at once called to the sentinel, 

“ My good fellow, help me up.” 

The sentinel turned, and, approaching him, asked how 
he came there. 

“ Why,” said Bowie, “ it was so dark that I came on 
the wrong side of the street, and have trodden on some¬ 
thing which caused me to fall and sprain my ankle. How 
am I to get home ? It is late, and no one is going my 
way.” 

“ Get up,” said the sentinel; “ I will help you to the 


Wat Bowids Adventures. 


309 


end of my beat, and tlien maybe you can get on. But 
you must not come this way again, or you will get worse 
hurt.” 

“ Thank you, thank you, my friend,” said Bowie; “ 1 as¬ 
sure you I find that this is not a safe place, and will not 
be likely to pass this d—d street again.” 

The sentinel, true to his word, gave him the promised 
assistance, and as he was not as much hurt as he repre¬ 
sented himself to be, he limped off, and, after a walk of 
four miles, hired a horse, and was twenty miles from the 
Federal Bastile before sunlight irradiated its lofty towers. 

When Bowie was asked why, when he fell, he did not 
run from the sentinel instead of calling to him, he laugh¬ 
ed and said, 

“ That would have made him fire upon me, and might 
have caused my rearrest.” 

But his adventures did not end here, for a few days 
later, and while his trail was still warm, he came upon a 
party of soldiers who were on the look-out for him. They 
were seated in a bunch of pines around a fire made of 
fence-rails. Bowie, without hesitation, walked up to them 
and said, 

u Holloa, men, you make free with my rails. I think 
you might have taken the wood, and not destroyed my 
fence. But Uncle Sam, I suppose, must have his own 
way; but,” he added, “ don’t do more harm than neces¬ 
sary.” 

One of the soldiers inquired, 

“ Who the d —1 are you ?” 

“ Who else,” replied Bowie, “ but the owner of this 
land and of those rails ?” 

After some farther words, one of the men inquired if 
he knew any thing of W^at Bowie, proceeding to describe 

his person with considerable accuracy. 

“ Yes, I know him well. He was in the neighborhood, 


310 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

it is said, a few days ago, but lias gone to the upper part 
of the country, where he was born.” Seeing that he was 
closely eyed, he added, 

“ I am glad I met you on my own ground, else you 
might have given me trouble, for I am said to be much 
like him .” And, turning off, said, 

“ Success to you. If you want a drink, come to my 
house about dusk, when I shall be in.” 

“ Thank you, sir,” said the soldier, giving a military sa¬ 
lute ; “ you are of the right sort.” 

As soon as the organization of Company “ F 11 was com¬ 
pleted, Lieutenant Bowie, with twenty-five men, started 
on an expedition to Maryland, the purpose of which was 
to capture and bring off the chief executive of that state, 
Governor Bradford. His route carried him through Fal¬ 
mouth and King George Court-house. At the latter 
place he halted and organized his little command by ap¬ 
pointing Jack Randolph and Jim Wiltshire second and 
third in authority. Fie then directed his march to the 
Potomac. Having dispersed his command through the 
neighborhood, he pressed the boat of Long, a blockade- 
runner, whom he compelled to accompany him, and then, 
with Randolph, Wiltshire, and the young widow of a 
Georgia soldier, on her way to visit her friends in New 
York, proceeded to cross the river. The water was very 
rough (for the Potomac at this point is four miles wide), 
but the lady was as calm as the widow of a Southern sol¬ 
dier ought to be when the frail bark was trembling on 
the heaving waves. The party landed at “The Walnut,” 
a large tree which gives its name to the crossing, and re¬ 
mained three days in the neighborhood, during which 
time Bowie acquired the information he desired. In the 
afternoon of the third day, on their return to The Wal¬ 
nut, they encountered two of Bowie’s friends, who had 
come out from Port Tobacco to see him, having been se- 


Wat Bowie's Adventures . 


311 


cretly informed tliat lie was in tlie neighborhood. After 
a brief interview, a shake of the hand, and a glass of 
Bourbon, they departed. 

Concluding that it was impracticable to conduct in 
safety so large a command as he had brought with him 
through Maryland, Bowie determined to send it back 
to Fauquier, reserving only O’Bannon, Charlie Vest, Rat- 
cliffe, George Smith, Haney, Jack Randolph, and Jim 
Wiltshire. 

As soon as this arrangement had been determined 
upon, Wiltshire was sent to cross the river with Long, to 
have the order executed. When the boat was midway 
the stream, Long became alarmed at the number of boats 
that were passing, and expressed a determination to re¬ 
turn to the Maryland shore. But Wiltshire was not in 
the habit of doing business in that way; so he cocked 
his pistol, and presented it at the head of the astonished 
blockade-runner, bidding him continue his course. Hav¬ 
ing executed his mission on the Virginia shore, Wiltshire, 
with the men before enumerated, recrossed the river, and 
dismissed Mr. Long, to ply again the profitable and patri¬ 
otic business to which he had devoted his industry and 
talents. 

Bowie, with seven of Mosby’s Rangers, was now afoot 
in Charles County, Maryland, embarked upon the hazard¬ 
ous enterprise of leading into captivity the highest official 
in the state. But the distance to be traveled made it 
necessarv for the lieutenant to mount his followers, for if 
his excellency should be captured a forced march to 
Dixie would, beyond doubt, be necessary. But where 
were the horses to be obtained ? It would never do to 
take them from the citizens of Charles County, who were 
so zealous for the cause of Southern independence. There 
were Yankee cavalry at Port Tobacco, however, and “ Old 
Abe” was a quartermaster from whose stables Mosby’s 


312 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

men had, for many months, been in the habit of supply¬ 
ing themselves. To Port Tobacco they accordingly re¬ 
paired. It was night when they arrived. The men were 
halted outside of the town, while their leader went in to 
reconnoitre. He soon returned, and conducted them to 

B-’s tavern, where they were provided with crackers 

and cheese. Liquors and cigars followed, and then came 
Ratcliffe’s oyster story. 

A cavalry camp was within half a mile of the town, 
but a provost-guard of fifteen or twenty men was quar¬ 
tered in the court-house building. Here, then, were 
horses, and Wat Bowie determined out of that stud to 
mount his foot-sore and weary followers. The sentinel 
who guarded the horses was first captured by Bowie and 
Wiltshire, and turned over to one of the command. 
Bowie then proceeded to the court-house. Charlie Vest 
was stationed to guard the door, Randolph, Haney, Rat- 
cliffe, and O’Bannon were directed to hold themselves in 
readiness, while Bowie and Wiltshire entered. The room 
was very dark, and the former, having lighted a match, 
was passing about among the sleejfing Yankees, when a 
stalwart Dutchman sprang up, and, running his pistol 
against Bowie, threatened to shoot. The two Rangers at 
once shouted, “ If any man shoots we will murder the 
whole party.” At these words Randolph and his com¬ 
rades rushed upon the scene. There was not even the 
show of resistance made; the warlike Dutchman fell back 
upon the floor, protesting that he did not mean to shoot. 

The prisoners were then paroled to remain in the court¬ 
house till sunrise — an engagement to which they were 
faithful, for Bowie told them by that time he would be 
able to recross the river. The horses were then distrib¬ 
uted among the Rangers, Bowie selecting for his own 
saddle a handsome gray, not because it was the best, but 
because it would be most conspicuous in the fight, and 



1 


Wat Bowie's Adventures . 313 

would, on account of its color, be a good guide-horse at 
night. Thus equipped, they started for Upper Marlboro, 
a small town about thirty-six miles distant. The follow¬ 
ing night, weary and hungry, they entered the town, and 
found it difficult to procure food, for even the Southern 
sympathizers were afraid to give it to them. The ladies 
of Upper Marlboro, in the article of pluck, are not equal 
to the heroines of Baltimore, who would have defied the 
whole Northern army before they would have seen one 
of Mosby’s knights lack for a mouthful of food. But the 
ladies of Baltimore are of a higher type, and it is not just 
to compare mere mortals with them. They belong to 
the order of angels — yes, ministering angels to the sick 
and imprisoned soldiers of the South. There was, how¬ 
ever, a hospitable old negro, who carried the strangers to 
his humble cabin, and there gave them a ham of bacon 
and a crust of bread. He was the single righteous man 
that saved the city from utter condemnation. After the 
lapse of an hour the Partisans again set forth, and, after 
less than a day’s ride, arrived at the house of one of the 
elect, where they were received with a most cordial wel¬ 
come, and waited upon at table by the daughters of the 
house, the servants having been purposely all sent out of 
the way. Mosby’s men felt like gods, with dimpled He- 
bes to give them nectar in the likeness of Lincoln coffee 
—no bad substitute either to hungry and toil-wOrn sol¬ 
diers. As they took their departure from this hospitable 
roof, Wiltshire, in the most enthusiastic manner, exclaimed, 

“ ’Twas bright, ’twas heavenly, but ’tis past!” 

\ 

A few hours later, Lieutenant Bowie, with three men, 
started to visit a neighboring county, and left Wiltshire, 
with the rest of the party, concealed in a forest. Here 
Brune Bowie joined them. He had been a member of 
the 1st Virginia Cavalry, but now enlisted under Mosby. 



314 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

The wanderers slept soundly by their camp-fires in the 
woods until, at dawn, Ratcliffe was aroused from his slum¬ 
bers by a hunter’s dog. Springing to his feet, the Ran¬ 
ger found himself face to face with a forester, who carried 
a fowling-piece on his shoulder. Ratcliffe summoned his 
comrades, and Wiltshire recognized in the sportsman 

young-, one of Lee’s soldiers, who had been wounded 

at Gettysburg, and had the night before entertained him 
at his father’s house. He had brought with him food 
and several bottles of whisky. Thus supplied, life in the 
woods was pleasant enough—a good breakfast, a glass of 
inspiring liquor, a war-dance, and then the oyster story. 

When Lieutenant Bowie returned, he brought with 
him information that a large garrison had been sent to 
Annapolis, which rendered the abduction of Governor 
Bradford impossible. 

He determined without delay to make his way back 
to Virginia. Passing through Beltville, the Partisans 
marched for forty miles in the direction of the Sugar-loaf 
Mountain, which is near the Potomac, and about oppo¬ 
site to Leesburg. At night they slept in a body of pines, 
and at eight o’clock in the morning were aroused by the 
tramp of horses. It was discovered that an armed band 
of about thirty citizens was approaching the bivouac by 
the public road, who had been roused to retaliate for an 
act of aggression which had been committed by the Ran¬ 
gers the day before. A fight with Mosby’s men is al¬ 
ways in order, so they hastily formed on foot, and charged 
their assailants with a yell. The citizen soldiers fled 
with precipitation, in their fright firing their guns and 
pistols in the air. 

Before the fight had begun, the valiant citizens, with 
the exception of eight or ten who were reserved for the 
cavalry service, had all dismounted. The consequence 
was that they ran away, leaving their horses for the guer- 



The Hanging Haid. 


315 


rillas. Bowie, Vest, and Wiltshire, mounted on abandon¬ 
ed horses, pressed hard in the pursuit, the lieutenant be¬ 
ing considerably in advance. As he passed near a thick¬ 
et, he was mortally wounded by a charge of buckshot. 
When the men gathered around him, he told them that 
he must die, and ordered them at once to leave him, but 
they first moved him to the house of a citizen near by, 
and left him in the custody of his brother. 

The command then devolved on Jack Randolph, who 
struck for the Sugar-loaf, from whence he proceeded to 
Virginia. 

Thus ended a daring but fruitless expedition, or fruit¬ 
ful only in misfortune, for in the death of Lieutenant 
Bowie the battalion sustained a heavy loss. If he had 
defects as a commander, they were such as a soldier knows 
best how to excuse, and as a gentleman and a soldier, he 
was a model upon which others might form themselves. 


CHAPTER XL. 

• THE HANGING EAID.-EXECUTION OF SEVEEAL OF MOSBY’s 

BATTALION. 

Upper Fauquier, September 30th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —As soon as Company “ F” was organ¬ 
ized, three expeditions started from Piedmont; the one to 
Maryland, an account of which I gave you iu my last let¬ 
ter, and two to the Valley, with an account of which I 
will begin my narrative to-day. 

With eight men, Captain William Chapman crossed the 
Shenandoah for the purpose of attacking Sheridan’s line 
of communication, extending from Winchester to the Po¬ 
tomac. On the old Winchester and Harper’s Ferry Dirt 
Road he discovered, about ten miles from the former 



316 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

place, an immense supply-train passing, escorted by a 
heavy guard, which he followed until it reached the 
Winchester and Martinsburg Turnpike, capturing on the 
way the commissary of Chapman’s brigade and two cav¬ 
alry-men. He then halted his party, and, it being night, 
went forward to reconnoitre. 

He discovered a house, around which were standing a 
number of horses, and proposed to the proprietor to al¬ 
low him to stop for the night, but was told that the 
house was full. “ There is, however, in the stable-yard,” 
said he, “ a wagon belonging to the 6th Army Corps. 
Perhaps you can find quarters with the driver.” Pos¬ 
sessed of this information, Captain Chapman returned to 
his command, and sent Lieutenant Fray, with two men, 
to search the house before mentioned, while with the rest 
he went to the stable-yard. There he found a commis¬ 
sary wagon, loaded with hard tack and drawn by six 
mules, in charge of a sergeant and driver. The mules 
were quickly bridled and harnessed, and the more so 
when shooting was threatened as the consequence of hes¬ 
itation or disobedience on the part of those in charge of 
them. Lieutenant Fray reported that he had found the 
house deserted, for the inmates had taken the alarm and 
fled. Before Chapman could get off with his captures, 
the sound of approaching hoofs was heard, and soon a 
voice demanded, 

“ Who is that ?” 

Chapman replied that he had in charge a 6th Corps 
wagon, at the same time advancing with his men. 

“ But why are you making such a devil of a noise ?” 
again demanded the voice. 

With becoming humility, Chapman responded that his 
wagon had broken down, and then ventured to inquire 
the names of the strangers. But they treated the ques¬ 
tion with the contempt so appropriate to official dignity 


317 


The Hanging Haul 
* 

—an ineffectual barrier in war — so this bevy of officers, 
as it proved to be, were compelled to make an uncondi¬ 
tional surrender, all but one, who, in the darkness, made 
his escape. Major Terry, two captains, a lieutenant, and 
two privates set off with Chapman for “ Mosby’s Confed¬ 
eracy.” 

But the night’s adventures were not over, for the party 
had not proceeded more than a mile before it was halted 
by a man who stood on the side of the road. Chapman 
asked if it was a picket-station, but was told that eleven 
officers, together with a sutler’s wagon, had halted there 
for the night. In a low voice the sentinel was informed 
that he was a prisoner, and was then ordered to call the 
officers to him singly. Thus were they all captured, and, 
with nineteen prisoners and twenty-three horses, Chapman 
continued his march. The affair was so cleverly man¬ 
aged that, in the darkness, those last captured mistook 
all who were along for “ rebels,” while the prisoners first 
taken believed that their captors had received re-enforce¬ 
ments on the route. All this was done without firing a 
shot—a piece of head-work that may well make Glass¬ 
cock look out for his laurels. So great was the dispro¬ 
portion of blue-coats in the column, that it was near be¬ 
ing charged by Mosby’s men as it drew near Piedmont. 

Lieutenant Turner, as I have mentioned, was sent by 
Captain Frankland to the Valley with six men, and made 
several captures from a party which he charged from am¬ 
bush. 

Soon after Captain William Chapman returned from 
the Valley, his brother, Captain Sam Chapman, was al¬ 
lowed to take one hundred and twenty men, and attempt 
the capture of a picket from the 6th New York Cavalry, 
which he had been informed was stationed in Chester’s 
Gap, one of the breaks in the Blue Kidge, not far from 
Front Royal. With this intent, he marched his command 



318 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

to a point midway between Front Royal and the mount¬ 
ain pass, where he camped for the night, and was inform¬ 
ed that no such picket had been posted at that place, but 
that a large body of Federal cavalry had the day before 
marched from Front Royal toward Luray, and further¬ 
more that General Torbert had been repulsed by General 
Wickham at Milford, a point between Front Royal and 
Luray. About daybreak the next morning Chapman 
called for John Gray, Willie Mosby, and several other 
Rangers, and rode to Mr. King’s, on the Gooney Manor 
Grade, from wdiich place he could see the Federal camp a 
mile or two below Milford. In a short time it was re¬ 
ported to him that an ambulance-train, escorted by about 
one hundred and seventy-five men, had started from the 
Federal camp, and was moving down the turnpike to¬ 
ward Front Royal. Acting upon this information, Chap¬ 
man returned in the direction of Front Royal, and, when 
near it, halted his j3arty midway between the road lead¬ 
ing from Chester’s Gap and the turnpike leading from 
Milford. Here he sent for the command to join him. As 
soon as it arrived, he divided it into two parts; one he 
put under command of Captain Franldand to make a cir¬ 
cuit over Grave-yard Hill, and assail the front of the es¬ 
cort as it was about to enter the village, while with the 
other moiety he would attack it in rear at the toll-house. 
Chapman, wdiose position placed him nearer the advancing 
escort, saw them as they turned the angle of the road; but 
cavalry followed without intermission. One, two, three 
stands of colors were counted. Turning to Harry Hatch¬ 
er, in command of Company “A,” he ordered him back to 
the Chester Gap wood without delay, “while I,” he said, 
“ will get to Franldand if possible, and call him off be¬ 
fore he makes an attack.” But, before he could execute 
this purpose, Frankland had pitched into the front of the 
escort, driving it back among the ambulances. When 


319 


The Hanging Raid. 

Chapman met liim, exclaiming, “ Call off your men; you 
are attacking a brigade,” he replied, in amazement,“ Why, 
Sam, we have whipped them.” The order was repeated, 
but it was slowly obeyed, for the men had tasted blood. 

I must now return to Harry Hatcher, who could not 
find it in his heart to leave the field while his comrades 
were fighting, and Fount Beattie and Willie Mosby, who 
were with him, contributed all in their power to hinder 
a retrograde movement. When the reverend gentleman 
discovered this reluctance, in his vexation he exclaimed, 
“ It is all very noble and very pretty, but devilish incon¬ 
venient at this time ;” and there is a tradition in the 
command that he even used stronger language. The 
Yankees, in the mean time, enveloped the devoted band 
like a cloud. Now the Bangers would charge them in 
front, now beat them off from the flanks and rear, but still 
they continued to crowd upon them. In this way Chap¬ 
man continued the retreat till he reached Criser’s house, 
which stands near Chester’s Gap Boad, where he discov¬ 
ered a body of Federal cavalry so posted as to cut off re¬ 
treat in that direction. Things looked blue enough, but 
the reverend gentleman did not hesitate a moment. His 
countenance glowed with pleasure as he rallied his men, 
and by a desperate charge opened again the line of re¬ 
treat to the Blue Bidge. 

A Federal lieutenant, with a small party, had galloped 
up the Chester Gap Boad, that he might intercept some 
of the fugitives, who, on the side of the mountain, were 
attempting to make their escape by crossing Hominy 
Hollow. Finding himself cut off by the interposition of 
Chapman, he dismounted from his horse, it is supposed, 
intending to surrender. But he imprudently retained his 
arms, and was riddled with bullets by the fugitives as 
they passed him. The fate of this officer was not singu¬ 
lar, for it is a fact in the history of this locality that no 


320 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Yankee has ever visited Hominy Hollow and returned 
to tell the tale. 

In this fight none of Mosby’s men were killed, none 
were wounded, but blood flowed freely enough after the 
combat was over, for a vindictive and sanguinary spirit 
prevailed among the Yankees that day. Six prisoners 
had been captured in the fight; Anderson and Carter 
from Fauquier, Love from Fredericksburg, Jones from 
Washington, Overby from Georgia, and Rhodes from Front 
Royal. Events for many months had been drifting to a 
catastrophe, and it was now determined to sacrifice these 
victims to the angry vengeance which prevailed in the 
Northern army toward Mosby and his men. Anderson, 
Jones, and Love were marched to the rear of the town 
and shot, while Overby and Carter were marched off in 
the direction of Guard Hill, and hung to the branches of 
a walnut-tree in sight of the village, with this placard 
fastened on their backs, 

“ Such is the fate of all of Mosby’s men.” 

All of them met their fate with singular firmness, but 
Overby, who was a famous soldier, hurled defiance at his 
executioners, and said, 

“ My last moments are sweetened by the reflection that 
for every man you murder this day Mosby will take a 
tenfold vengeance.” 

Rhodes had fled up Happy Creek when he was cap¬ 
tured. As he was marched through Front Royal to the 
place of execution, he passed the residence of his mother, 
whose only stay he was. With a gush of maternal grief 
and fondness, she rushed out into the street and caught 
him in her arms; but her arms were unclasped, and she 
was rudely driven off by the men who had him in charge. 
He was then taken beyond the village and put to death. 

The citizens of Front Royal had witnessed all the ter¬ 
rors of legitimate warfare, and had learned to regard them 


321 


Ogcfs Adventure and Escape. 

with composure; but the execution of these enlisted sol¬ 
diers produced a deep gloom that was visible on every 
countenance. Had a new chapter in the horrors of war 
been opened ? 


CHAPTER XLI. 

OGG’s (the scout) ADVENTUEE AND ESCAPE.-MES. SCOTT 

AND HEE LITTLE BOY SAVING HEE HOUSE. 

Upper Eauquier, October 30th, 1864. 

Deae Peecy,— On the 29th of September Colonel Mos- 
by returned to Fauquier, and resumed the command of 
the Partisan Battalion. He was still on crutches, and un¬ 
able to ride without being lifted into the saddle. As soon 
as his convalescence began, his restless spirit induced him 
to visit Richmond on official business. But when he 
reached Gordon sville, with the purpose of returning to 
his father’s house, he met three of his captains and many 
of the men—a circumstance which convinced him that his 
command imperatively demanded his attention. He at 
once ordered the officers and men to duty, and to one of 
the men who asked for a furlough, he replied, 

“ No, sir; it is more disgraceful for a soldier to go home 
at this time than to go to the penitentiary.” 

When Mosby arrived Captain William Chapman was 
in the Valley, and he immediately sent Captain Sam Chap¬ 
man, with Company “ E,” to strike Sheridan’s communi¬ 
cations near Middletown, from which expedition he re¬ 
turned bringing with him thirteen prisoners. 

The battalion was ordered to assemble at Piedmont on 
the 2d of October, with the intention of striking Sheridan 
a heavy blow. But when the day arrived, information 
was brought to Colonel Mosby that a considerable force 

X 





322 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

of tlie enemy was advancing np the Orange and Alexan¬ 
dria Railroad. Instead of marching to the Valley, he, 
with two hundred and fifty men and two howitzers, ad¬ 
vanced toward the railroad, for he suspected that the en¬ 
emy harbored the design of establishing for Sheridan a 
base east of the Blue Ridge. The most valuable service 
which Mosby could render in this conjuncture was, he 
thought, to retard, and, if possible, to defeat this enter¬ 
prise. The undertaking was great, and his means small; 
yet, by activity, and courage, and skill, he hoped to ac¬ 
complish that result. Before he reached Thoroughfare 
Gap he dispatched Ogg, a good scout and guide, to Bris- 
toe Station in search of information, with orders to report 
to him that night at Gainesville. As is his custom, he 
was marching several miles in advance of the battalion, 
when he learned at the Gap that the enemy were encamp¬ 
ed at Gainesville. Thereupon he sent an order to Mount- 
joy, who was in command of the battalion, to pass 
through the Gap, and camp at a designated farm-house, 
where he knew forage could be obtained. Mosby then 
proceeded to Gainesville, feeling very uneasy about Ogg 
and his party, and, after reconnoitring the Federal camp, 
sought shelter from the rain in a neighboring farm-house. 
Just as Tommy Love was spreading their blankets on the 
floor, a volley of musketry was heard in the direction of 
the Federal camp. Mosby knew what it meant, but could 
not help laughing as he exclaimed, “ Tom, that’s Ogg.” 
And, sure enough, it was. Ogg had executed his mission, 
and had come to report, according to orders, at Gaines¬ 
ville ; had seen the camp-fires, and, supposing them to be 
Mosby’s, had rode up to the picket, who inquired, 

“ Who are you ?” 

“ Ogg,” was the reply. “ Don’t you know Ogg ?” 

Never having heard of that individual, the picket re¬ 
quired him to dismount and advance. 


Ogcfs Adventure and Escape. 323 

TV hat company do you belong to inquired Ogg, 
never suspecting them to be Yankees. 
a Company ‘ E,’ ” was the reply. 

“ ^ y es ?” sa id he, “ I thought you belonged to that 
d—d green company.” And then insisted on being car- 
ried at once to “ the colonel/’ which was agreed to. But 
when he advanced, greatly to his surprise, he found him¬ 
self in the midst of blue-coats and bayonets. But Ogg’s 



ESCAPE OF OGG FEOM THE YANKEE CAMP. 


presence of mind did not in the least forsake him. He 
remained master of the situation, and the Yankees had 
not discovered who he was. In a peremptory manner, the 
Ranger again demanded to be taken to the colonel, for he 
had, he said, important information for him, but added 
that he could not walk, as he was extremely lame. As 
soon as he was again on horseback, he shouted to his 
comrades, “ Break, boys !” and left the Yankees with the 

















































324 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

rapidity and brilliancy of a streak of lightning. A vol¬ 
ley of musketry followed wliicli did Ogg no harm, nor the 
Yankees any good. 

Early the next morning, Mosby, proceeding on a recon- 
noissance, discovered that about four hundred cavalry 
had been sent up the railroad, whereupon he dispatched 
a courier to Mountjoy, with orders to meet him at Bris- 
toe Station, his plan being to intercept and destroy them 
on their return. But before the courier arrived a heavy 
force had been interposed between Mountjoy and Bris- 
toe Station, which induced that officer, instead of going 
thither, to march toward Markham, first passing through 
one of the gaps of the Bull Bun Mountain. On the night 
of October 3d a force of about eighteen hundred infantry 
camped at Salem, and, from their preparations, it was evi¬ 
dent they had come to rebuild and reoccupy the road, for 
they brought with them trains loaded with construction 
material. 

As he passed the Plains on his way to Salem, Mosby 
stopped and conferred with his trusty and intelligent 
friend, James William Foster, and on parting from him 
said, u Listen for me to-morrow.” By three o’clock P.M., 
on the 4tli, he had collected his men, and placed his how¬ 
itzers in position on Stevenson’s Hill, a little to the south 
of Salem, and about half a mile from the Federal camp. 
The Yankees, not expecting to be attacked, as soon as 
the guns opened on them fled toward Bectortown, where 
the rest of the command had gone that morning. First 
our sharp-shooters rushed into the deserted camp, soon 
followed by the mounted men. Mosby told them to help 
themselves to the plunder before them—tents, rubber- 
cloths, blankets, and well-filled knapsacks, all new—for I 
need not remind you that, according to his theory, plun¬ 
der is the cohesive force in the Banger service. 

He followed the retreating enemy, leaving Chapman, 




325 


Ogg\s Adventure and Escape. 

with liis squadron and the artillery, to hold the railroad 
and tear up the track. They were overtaken near Rector- 
town, and charged impetuously by Mountjoy. The Fed¬ 
eral loss was fifty prisoners, including three officers, and 
several killed and wounded. Mosby’s loss was two mor¬ 
tally wounded. 

I will conclude the narrative of this fight with an anec¬ 
dote, which strikingly illustrates the courageous spirit 
which animates the maidens of “ Mosby’s Confederacy.” 
While the fight was progressing, Miss Anna Morgan, of 
Clover Hill, was standing in front of her father’s residence, 
watching the smoke as it rose from the guns on Steven¬ 
son’s Hill. While thus absorbed, three Confederate sol¬ 
diers approached, coming from the direction of Salem. As 
they drew up their horses and saluted the lady, she said, 

“ You are going in the wrong direction, gentlemen.” 
And, pointing to the scene of combat, added, “ Every 
Southern soldier ought to be there.” 

If the Federals had heard this, they would say more 
than ever that the Southern women are the fiends that 
drive the men into battle. 

While the fight was in progress at Salem, a force of 
twelve hundred Yankees, employed in rebuilding the rail¬ 
road bridge over Goose Creek, near Piedmont, abandoned 
their work, and hastily fell back to Rectortown. They 
were soon joined by their discomfited brethren from Sa¬ 
lem, and the night was spent in throwing up earthworks 
for their protection. In the afternoon of the following 
day Mosby again opened upon General Augur’s force with 
his howitzers, driving them from their fortifications, and 
compelling them to take refuge in a deep gorge, through 
which the railroad at Rectortown passes. He continued 
the shelling until dark, and renewed it the next day, but 
without being able to dislodge them, for his guns could 
not be brought to bear upon either trains or men thus 
protected. 


326 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 

But the shelling had not been unproductive of results, 
for the Federal commander the ensuing day sent off a 
train of cars crowded with infantry toward Salem, which 
had been again occupied by a large force from Alexan¬ 
dria. It moved slowly, preceded by infantry skirmish 
ers, who carefully removed all obstructions from the track, 
and protected by flankers, thrown out for the distance of 
two hundred yards on each side of the railroad, while 
the howitzers in vain played on it. Each moment we 
expected to see the engine thrown from the track, but the 
cars rolled on slowly and surely until they arrived at the 
new Federal camp. 

It will be remembered that Chapman, with his squad¬ 
ron re-enforced by the artillery, had been left at Salem at 
the close of the first day’s fight. The ensuing morning 
a force marched up from the Plains to relay the railroad 
track and open communications with the force which had 
been cut off at Bectortown. But he opened upon them 
with his guns, and drove them back to their camps. The 
enemy, however, determined to strip the border of cav¬ 
alry, in order to prevent Mosby from interrupting their 
working parties, and on the 9th of October their entire 
force commenced moving up the railroad. 

By this time Mosby had received from General Lee a 
reply to a dispatch announcing the occupation of the 
road by the enemy, his success at Salem, and his purpose 
to prevent, if possible, the reconstruction of the railroad. 
General Lee said, “ Your success at Salem gives great sat¬ 
isfaction. Do all in your power to prevent the recon¬ 
struction of the road.” 

The intention of General Augur being now developed, 
which was not only to establish a base for Sheridan 
higher up in the Valley, but also to compel Mosby to 
retire to the district south of the road, which could not 
support him, and ultimately to drive him from the coun- 


327 


Ogg's Adventure and Escape. 

try, Mosby determined to adopt a counteracting policy. 
He first sent Captain William Chapman, with three com¬ 
panies (for the artillery had been sent to the mountain 
for safety), to operate for a few days south of the rail¬ 
road, for the double purpose of deceiving Augur as to 
his whereabouts and purposes, and also to deter soldiers 
from straggling over the country, and then dispatched 
Richards with a squadron to pay his respects to General 
Sheridan, while he, with Mountjoy’s company, remained 
to operate on the north of the railroad. Knowing that 
the only way to prevent the progress of the work on the 
road was to keep the force stirred up behind, on the 
night of the 9th of October he sent a detachment, under 
a lieutenant, to throw off the track a train of cars as it 
passed between Salem and the Plains. This duty was 
successfully performed, and many on board were killed 
and many severely wounded. In retaliation, the Yankees 
resorted to the inhuman exj^edient of arresting prominent 
citizens of the Southern tyj)e residing in Fauquier and 
Alexandria, and making them ride on every train which 
ran on the Manassas Gap Railroad. In addition, some 
of the captured Rangers were sent along. But, with the 
spirit of an old Roman, Mosby declared, “ If my wife and 
children were on board, I would still throw off the cars.” 
This mode of attack worked like a charm. Most of the 
cavalry and infantry were taken from rebuilding, and 
employed in guarding the road, and in constructing block¬ 
houses to enable them to do it the more effectually. As 
an additional protection, the enemy employed large par¬ 
ties of workmen to clear the margins of the road of 
wood, so as to afford the Partisans no shelter. But Mos- 
,by had now gained his object in putting this new force 
on the defensive, and he turned again to his warfare on 
Sheridan’s communications. But, before this could be 
done, several events occurred which I will now relate. 


328 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

The same night that the cars were thrown from the 
track, Mosby, with about forty of his command, slept on 
the slope of a mountain near Glen Welby, about two 
miles from Salem, the beautiful residence of Major Rich¬ 
ard H. Carter, now serving with General Lee’s army. 

After the Federals had fallen back to Rectortown, and 
the pursuing party had been drawn off, Mosby, with sev¬ 
eral of the men, proceeded to Glen Welby, where he 
passed the night. He dispatched Charley Grogan, how¬ 
ever, to Rectortown, to ascertain, if possible, definite in¬ 
formation of the position of the enemy, with orders to 
proceed on foot. The soldier started, and when near the 
village he descried several objects on the brow of a hill 
which at first he took to be men, but a reconnoissance in¬ 
formed him of his mistake. The scout again began to 
advance with cautious step, when, to his surprise, a senti¬ 
nel suddenly stepped from behind a tree, exclaiming, 

“ Is that you, captain V 

u Yes,” promptly responded Grogan; u and why,” he 
sternly added, “ are you not walking your beat ?” 

The soldier made no reply to this rebuke, but stepped 
off and began to pace his beat. Very soon the scout had 
drawn and cocked his pistol, and proceeded rapidly to 
the sentinel’s side. He placed the pistol to his temple, 
and, in a whispered voice, told him that he was a prison¬ 
er, and if he raised the least alarm he would meet with 
instant death. The man appeared to be paralyzed with 
fear, and neither moved nor spoke, but without resistance 
accompanied his captor, who took him by the arm and 
led him down the hill. The picket to which the sentinel 
belonged was near by, as was disclosed by their fire and 
the sound of their voices. Arrived at the base of the 
hill, Grogan turned to his prisoner and said, 

“ I am Mosby, and you will do well not to give me 
any trouble.” 


329 


Ogg\$ Adventure and Escape. 

The man bowed liis head in token of submission, and 
was conducted to the stable-loft at Glen Welby, where 
Mosby was passing the night, who quickly extracted 
from him the desired information. Hurrah for Charley 
Grogan! 

Since General Augur had taken up a position at Rec- 
tortown, his cavalry had foraged almost exclusively on 
the adjoining country. Every corn-house and corn-field 
in a large area were visited almost daily, and it was only 
by secreting small quantities of grain in different places 
that families were enabled to preserve food for them¬ 
selves and the little stock they had been able to retain. 
Among the farms most frequently visited by these for¬ 
agers was Glen Welby, particularly obnoxious because of 
the entertainment which Mosby’s men was known ever 
to receive beneath its hospitable roof. 

Early the next morning, the watchful eye of Colonel 
Mosby discovered a column of one hundred and fifty of 
the enemy’s cavalry approaching from the direction of 
Rectortown, the residence of Major Carter. It soon ap¬ 
peared that they were in search of hay, which they tied up 
in large bundles and placed across their horses. He had 
caught the Yankees flagrante delicto , and he meant to 
make them pay for it. As the column passed out of the 
Glen Welby farm through a narrow lane formed by high 
stone fences, Lieutenant Grogan, with twenty men, charged 
and was soon in the midst of the surprised and dismayed 
foragers, pouring into them a destructive fire from their 
revolvers. At this time Mosby struck the column at 
another point, and made the route complete. The flight 
was continued some distance before the ¥ederals recover¬ 
ed from their dismay. Then they rallied, but not until 
Grogan had drawn off his party in safety. But this farce 
threatened to end in a tragedy, for soon Colonel Gallop, 
at the head of his regiment, made his appearance on the 


330 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

scene. Finding one of his men killed, and a good many 
lying wounded on the road and in the adjoining field, 
while others were coming in who had fled to the wood, 
and learning that it had been all produced by a mere 
squad of Mosby’s men, he was greatly enraged, and de¬ 
termined that some one should suffer. And whom do 
you suppose were selected as the victims to be immola¬ 
ted by the wrathful officer ? Mosby’s men ? No. Men 
capable of bearing arms against them ? No. But a 
houseful of helpless women and a large family of chil¬ 
dren. Upon them he determined to take vengeance for 
this ordinary and lawful belligerent act. In accordance 
with this purpose, Colonel Gallop, with his command, 
hastened to Glen Welby, in full view of which the fight, 
if such it can be called, had taken place. Very soon the 
house was surrounded, sentinels thrown out on every side, 
while a portion of the regiment dismounted, and, with 
their commander, entered the house. They were met at 
the door by Mrs. Carter and her daughter, Mrs. Scott, 
whose husband, Major B. Taylor Scott, was likewise on 
duty with Lee’s army. The officer’s salutation was, 

“We have come for the purpose of burning this house, 
and every building attached to the ground.” 

Mrs. Carter inquired the cause. Colonel Gallop re¬ 
plied, 

“We have just been attacked by a party of Mosby’s 
cut-throats on this place, and I have no doubt you had 
them concealed somewhere near by, and gave them in¬ 
formation.” 

The ladies assured him that they knew nothing of Col¬ 
onel Mosby’s movements, and that the first knowledge 
they had had of the presence of his men was the firing 
of which he complained. 

But Colonel Gallop refused to credit a word they ut¬ 
tered, and said, 


Ogefs Adventure and Escape. 


331 



“ I know, madam, you are in tlie habit of harboring 
those miserable cut-throats, and you shall suffer for it.” 

He immediately ordered a detail to be made to execute 
his threat to fire the buildings. This was a most trying 
moment. Mrs. Carter had been recently extremely ill, 
and was scarcely convalescent. Surrounded by her daugh¬ 
ters, a niece, one son—a mere boy, and a tender nursling— 
she saw the incendiaries about to apply the torch to her 
home, which was a large and beautiful building, com¬ 
fortably and tastefully furnished, and had been to herself 
and family for many years the abode of comfort and hap¬ 
piness. In a few moments she was to witness its total 
destruction, and herself and family were to be turned out 
without a shelter. Yet even in this helpless and forlorn 
situation her fortitude did not desert her. She bore her¬ 
self with such dignity, resignation, and firmness, that even 
the rude natures around her were softened by compas- 


MKS. SCOTT AND HER HOY SAVING THE HOUSE FROM THE FLAMES. 































332 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


sion. The simple request was made that time should be 
allowed to remove some clothing. Colonel Gallop re¬ 
plied, “You may have five minutes !” 

A small quantity of clothing was accordingly brought 
out into the yard, but was seized and carried off by the 
soldiers in the presence of the officers, under the pretext 
of searching for something contraband. Soon the family, 
Mrs. Scott and her little son excepted, left the house con¬ 
demned to the flames, the children, in extreme terror, 
hiding themselves in the fields and orchard, while Mrs. 
Carter started in search of her infant, who, then sick and 
but imperfectly clothed, was exposed to the raw autum¬ 
nal air. At this time occurred a scene of the most tragic 
interest, which would defy the pen even of Walter Scott, 
fully to depict—Mrs. Scott, as heroic as she is gentle and 
beautiful, taking her little boy by the hand, seated her¬ 
self in one of the parlors, saying, 

“Well, my son, if they will burn this dear old home, 
we will perish in the flames.” 

This spectacle was too much even for the flinty hearts 
of the soldiers. Soon one of them, supposed to be a cor¬ 
poral, was seen to approach his commander, and appar¬ 
ently to expostulate 
with him. Just then 
Colonel Gallop in¬ 
quired for Mrs. Car¬ 
ter, who was summon¬ 
ed from the field, and, 
in company with her 
daughter Sophie, 
known as “The Lily” 
among the Rangers, 
approached the offi¬ 
cer, who, in a very 
rough and unfeeling 




333 


Ogg\s Adventure and Escape. 

manner, began to address her; but Miss Sophie immedi¬ 
ately interposed, saying, 

“ It I had known you had called for my mother to in¬ 
sult her, she should not have been sent for.” 

The colonel, thus rebuked, concluded by saying, 

“ I have determined, madam, to spare your house this 
time; but if I ever catch or hear of one of these cut¬ 
throats being here again, nothing shall save the house or 
any building on the place.” 

To this Miss Sophie replied, 

“We can not make any promise of the kind; and if 
we did, it would be impossible for us to keep it, for, 
when soldiers come, we can not, if we would, order them 
away.” 

The next day, with Mountjoy’s company, Colonel Mos- 
by was stationed in the woods between Salem and the 
Plains. With thirteen men, he rode within sight of the . 
latter place, where there w T as a camp of Yankees. About 
forty or fifty cavalry came in pursuit of him. They did 
not venture to come to close quarters, but dismounted, 
and used their carbines from behind a stone fence. Wil¬ 
lie Mosby was sent for Mountjoy, while the colonel, in or¬ 
der to draw the enemy farther out, fell slowly back and 
disappeared in a wood. The stratagem succeeded, and 
the Federal charged, supposing he had fled. But sudden¬ 
ly he burst upon them. Of all things, a Yankee fears an 
ambuscade the most, and accordingly they wheeled and 
rapidly retreated, followed by Mosby and his party. In 
the pursuit he passed two of the Federal troopers, one of 
whom shot his horse in the hip, causing it to fall upon 
him. Thus prostrate, he was surrounded by the enemy. 
His men, perceiving that they had lost their leader, re¬ 
turned and extricated him from the wounded animal. 
The Yankees in the mean time had received re-enforce¬ 
ments, but were charged and dispersed by Mountjoy, leav- 


334 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

ing six of their number killed and wounded. In conse¬ 
quence of this fall Mosby is quite lame, and is still una¬ 
ble to wear a boot. 


CHAPTER XLII. 

u THE GREENBACK RAID.” 

Clover Hill, November 4th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, —We will now accompany Mosby to the 
Valley on what is known in the command as the “ Green¬ 
back Raid,” undertaken in pursuance of the policy which 
I indicated in my last letter. With eighty-four men 
Mosby started on the 13th of October from Hooper’s 
Shop, and soon met Henry Heaton, who had been sent 
on a scout to the Valley, to get information about the 
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The command under 
Mountjoy was sent to Snickersville, while Mosby went 
to Upperville to hear the result of Richards’s trip to 
Newtown, and to issue farther orders. He was informed 
that Richards had attacked an ambulance with an escort 
of thirty men, and had killed and wounded twelve, cap¬ 
tured an equal number, and had brought off twenty-eight 
horses. Among the articles captured in the ambulance 
were many important official papers and two fine maps, 
one of the country along the Orange and Alexandria 
Railroad as far as the Rappahannock River, and one of 
the Manassas Gap Railroad as far as Strasburg. These 
had been destined for General .Sheridan, and threw addi¬ 
tional light on the use which the Federal government 
proposed to make of one or both of these roads. 

From Upperville Mosby went to join the command at 
Snickersville, and that night crossed the Shenandoah. 
The next day, from a position on the Valley Turnpike, 



“ The Greenback Maid.” 


335 


he captured fifteen men and horses, and then determined 
to intercept a train of cars on the Baltimore and Ohio 
Railroad. The point selected to make this attempt was 
a deep cut a little west of Brown’s Crossing, and about 
a quarter of a mile from Duffield Depot, so that the pas¬ 
sengers might sustain no injury from the sudden stoppage 
of the cars—a precaution which a cruel nature would 
not have taken. Harry Hatcher, with a detail of fifteen 
men, was then ordered to tear up the rails, and was very 
particular to destroy both tracks, for he was not unmind¬ 
ful of the mortifying experience of Captain Dolly, or 
“Southdown,” as the men called him after that exploit. 
As soon as the work was done, Mosby, leaving a small 
guard with the horses, marched the command to the rail¬ 
road, and, wrapping his blanket around him, laid his 
head in the lap of one of the men, and slept soundly, for 
he was much exhausted, having been almost constantly 
in the saddle since his return to his command. 

“ Oh, sleep ! it is a gentle thing 
Beloved from pole to pole; 

To Mary, Queen, the praise be given, 

She sent the gentle sleep from heaven, 

That slid into his soul.” 

At tw r o o’clock P.M. he was roused by the whistle, fol¬ 
lowed by the explosion of the boiler. The men were 
astounded. But, knowing that a prompt attack was the 
way to prevent resistance, Mosby pushed the men down 
the embankment as rapidly as possible. Roused from 
their bewilderment, they sprang into the cars, where a 
wild scene of confusion was presented. The ladies, of 
whom there were a good number, screamed with terror, 
while the male passengers were initiated in the operation 
of being u gone through.” 

As soon as the cars were boarded, Jim Wiltshire, who 
is the luckiest dog on earth with the ladies, had a ro- 


336 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

mantic adventure, which may, some of these days, lead to 
serious consequences. A young lady, of remarkable beau¬ 
ty, and dressed in mourning, with a very agitated manner 
called to him, 

“ Oh, captain, protect me, for I am a Mason’s daugh¬ 
ter !” 

The Ranger, not exactly comprehending the purport 
of her language, gallantly replied, “And I, miss, am a 
Mason’s son. Be not alarmed.” 

Thus assured, she approached and laid her hand ujDon 
his arm, still violently agitated. 

At this moment several of her fellow-passengers gath¬ 
ered around her. As they did so she fainted, and would 
have fallen but for the supporting arm of her new ac¬ 
quaintance, who laid the maiden’s inanimate form softly 
upon one of the seats, and then quietly withdrew. 

As soon as the passengers had gathered on the railroad 
bank, and the ladies were assured of their personal safe¬ 
ty, their spirits revived, and they appeared to enjoy the 
adventure. It was, indeed, a romantic situation, to be 
stopped amid those wild scenes by starlight, by the band 
of the guerrilla chief, Jack Mosby. 

When the cars came to be burned, there was one found 
to be freighted with German emigrants, who, not under¬ 
standing a word of English, made no motion to leave 
their seats when ordered to do so. 

“ They don’t understand English,” said Puryear; “ per¬ 
haps they understand fire,” and with these words he 
threw a parcel of lighted New York Heralds into the 
car. Out the Dutch tumbled—men, women, and chil- 
• dren—amid a chorus of outlandish curses. 

During this scene of agitation and confusion, Mosby 
sat on his horse, conversing freely with the passengers. 
He remarked to one of them, 

“ General Stevenson will not guard the railroad, and I 


“ The Greenback Raid” 


337 


am determined to make him perform liis duty.” Of a 
Dutch lieutenant, who had just been commissioned, and 
was on his way to his regiment, he inquired, 

“ Why did you come to fight us ?” 

“ Only to learn your tactics,” he replied. 

A little while after, the lieutenant came to Mosby with 
the complaint that some one had taken his boots from 
him. 

a Oh,” said he, laughing, “ that is only an elementary 
lesson in our tactics.” 

A lady, hysterical with fright, threw her arms about 
Munro Heiskell’s neck, and begged him to inform Colonel 
Mosby that her husband was a Mason. When the mo¬ 
mentous fact was communicated, the Partisan chief qui¬ 
etly replied, “Well, tell her I can’t help it.” 

Billings Steele approached one of the passengers for 
the purpose of “ going through him.” 



“THE GREENBACK RAID.” 

Y 








































338 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

“ Why, Billings,” said he, “ I am your brother; besides, 
they have robbed me twice already.” 

The passengers were standing on the bank, with the 
light of the burning cars thrown over them, when one of 
the guerrillas rode along, holding up a handsome carpet 
sack, and calling for the owner. After a slight pause, an 
old gentleman bustled out of the crowd and claimed the 
property, handing up the key to substantiate his title. 
The Banger very quietly put the key in his pocket and 
rode off. As he did so, some one in the crowd, with a gay 
laugh, exclaimed, “ Sold again!” and right cheap did the 
old gentleman look. 

In the midst of the conflagration, Charlie Dear and 
West Aldridge approached Colonel Mosby with the in¬ 
formation that they had taken from the two paymasters 
a tin box and a satchel filled with greenbacks. This was 
a splendid prize, and it was immediately sent off in charge 
of a party under command of Lieutenant Grogan. 

The only casualty was the death of a Federal officer, 
who, as he attempted to escape from the cars, was killed 
by John Hearn. The prisoners captured were Major 
Moore and Major Buggies, the paymasters before men¬ 
tioned, a Prussian officer in Federal uniform, two lieuten¬ 
ants, and six privates. 

On the return march Mosby was informed by a soldier 
whom he met that Captain Blazer was encamped near 
Cabletown. He turned his course in that direction, and 
at sunrise charged into the camp, but Blazer had left just 
two hours before, and his fires were still burning brightly. 

The next day, at a sequestered spot near Bloomfield, 
the greenbacks were counted and divided by Beattie, 
Hall, Grogan, and Briscoe, who had been appointed by 
Mosby to perform that duty. The amount captured be¬ 
ing $ 168 , 000 . dollars, each man received something over 
two thousand. When the names of the parties entitled 


“ The Greenback Raid” 


339 


to the prize-money were read out, Colonel Mosby came 
forward and ordered his name to be struck from the list. 
Against this act of self-denial the men loudly protested, 
but to no purpose, for he is inexorable in his determina¬ 
tion not to partake of the rich spoil which is daily cap¬ 
tured by his command. 

This is a great sum to be expended among the citizens 
of “ Mosby’s Confederacy, 11 for into their hands it will all 
ultimately pass, and is one of the advantages conferred 
upon them by having in their midst the Partisan Bat¬ 
talion. 

I will now close my account of the Greenback Paid with 
a copy of General Lee’s dispatch to the Secretary of War 
in relation to it: 

“Headquarters, October 17th, 1864. 

“Hon. Secretary of War: 

“ On the 14th Colonel Mosby struck the Baltimore and Ohio Rail¬ 
road at Duffield Station, and destroyed a United States mail train, 
consisting of a locomotive and ten cars, securing twenty prisoners 
and fifteen horses. Among the prisoners were two Yankee pay¬ 
masters, with one hundred and sixty-eight thousand dollars in gov¬ 
ernment bonds. 

“(Signed), R. E. Lee, General.” 

As Mosby was returning from the Greenback Raid, 
Colonel Gansevoort, of the Federal army, proceeded to 
Emory’s, on the Cobbler Mountain, under the guidance of 
a deserter from the battalion, as is believed, and captured 
the four pieces of artillery which had been deposited 
there for safety. At the same time Sergeant Babcock, 
who was in charge of the pieces, and several others, were 
made prisoners. 

The day before Mosby started on the Greenback Raid, 
he ordered Phil and Fred Smith to dart across the rail¬ 
road, and carry instructions to Captain Chajunan to tians- 
fer his command to the north side of the railroad, for the 
purpose of striking the Baltimore and Ohio Railioad at 


340 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

some point in Maryland. But Pliil Smith found it to be 
too heavily guarded to make darting across an easy mat¬ 
ter, and therefore had recourse to stratagem to effect his 
purpose. Taking off his coat, his checked shirt and blue 
pantaloons had a Yankee-like appearance. He then cau¬ 
tiously approached the road, but, to his surprise, struck it 
just where two sentinels were seated around their low 
watch-fire. He addressed them politely, and was allowed 
to pass, until, getting out of the range of their guns, he 
set spurs to his horse, and proceeded to deliver the col¬ 
onel’s order. During the execution of the order Chap¬ 
man discovered a strong guard on the road, whom he 
charged, wounding several of them, and capturing quite a 
number. He then marched up the railroad, picking up 
the sentries which were strung along it, until he was in¬ 
terrupted by the arrival of a car-load of soldiers, and com¬ 
pelled to move off. The next morning about dawn he 
started from his camp in Loudoun, and marched by pri¬ 
vate roads to White’s Ford of the Potomac, where an 
abundance of game was found. Canal-boats were pass¬ 
ing one after another in quick succession, freighted, many 
of them, with supplies for Sheridan’s army. Very soon 
eight or ten of these boats were in a blaze, and the horses 
by which they were drawn were sent back to Bloomfield. 
Chapman’s objective point being Adamstown, he could 
not tarry long on the canal, for a party of Keys’s race- 
riders had seen him cross the river, and had posted off to 
spread the alarm among the hostile camps within reach. 
There was an encampment of Delaware troops within a 
distance of seven miles. There were the troops at Point 
of Bocks, Berlin, and Harper’s Ferry, to say nothing of 
Keys’s myrmidons, one hundred and forty of whom were 
camped right at Adamstown. When the squadron reach¬ 
ed its objective point, Chapman was disappointed to hear 
that, on account of the capture of the cars by Mosby, no 



“ The Greenback Raid .” 


341 


train would come from Harper’s Ferry that day, and the 
men, to soothe their disappointment, were allowed to 
plunder two store - houses. Meanwhile Captain Keys 
drew up the Loudoun Rangers in battle array within 
half a mile of the scene, and awaited the moral effect of 
his presence on the rebels. The squadron set out to re¬ 
turn to Virginia, followed by Captain Keys at the re¬ 
spectful distance of five hundred yards, who occasionally 
fired a shot to let the Rangers know that he was in pur¬ 
suit. The Reverend Sam Chapman, who brought up the 
rear, proposed a fight; but his brother said, a Sam, 1 
haven’t time to stop and go off on a fox-hunt after Iveys.’ 1 
But instead, he determined to set a trap for the fox. So 
off the squadron started at a rapid rate, as if anxious to 
effect its escape. The Loudoun Rangers were delighted 
at this evidence of demoralization, and their military ar¬ 
dor rose to a high pitch. They had been many years in 
the service, and had never seen any body run from them 
before. As Chapman entered a lane, down they came, 
riding and yelling upon him, when, by a sudden counter¬ 
march, he turned fiercely upon his pursuers. The Vir¬ 
ginia Yankees now found they had made a terrible mis¬ 
take, and began to scatter like a flock of wild turkeys, 
scrambling over fences and running like mad to the woods. 
They were so well mounted, however, that only some four 
or five were killed, atfd twelve or fifteen taken prisoners. 

But Chapman quickly called off his dogs of war, for the 
prisoners informed him that Iveys had been sent to dela^ 
his march by skirmishes until the fords of the river could 
be occupied and the canal bridges destroyed — informa¬ 
tion which proved to be correct, for when he reached a 
bridge below the Boint of Rocks he found a detachment 
of infantry employed in tearing it up and throwing the 
timber into the canal; but a volley from the Partisans 
dispersed this party. The bridge was relaid, and the 



342 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

squadron, with its gallant commander, was soon safe 
again in Old Virginia. Fortune always favors the brave, 
for the Yankees had put in ambush two hundred infant¬ 
ry at the ford next above the one where the crossing was 
effected. About nightfall the command passed through 
Leesburg, and were received with demonstrations of wel¬ 
come. Hurrah for William Chapman! 


CHAPTER XLIII. 

john orrick’s adventures. 

Upper Fauquier, November 7th, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— To-day I will introduce to you John 
Orrick, a volunteer from Alabama, who, after being cap¬ 
tured by the Federals on the retreat from Gettysburg, 
effected his escape and made his way to Mosby. He is 
a good soldier, is cool and brave, and, being well acquaint¬ 
ed in Maryland, is often employed by his commander to 
o;ain information from that side of the Potomac. His ad- 
venturous expeditions, some of which I am about to re¬ 
late, will remind you of Wat Bowie, and will serve to ex¬ 
pose to your view still farther this aspect of Partisan life. 
Soon after he joined the command, with four comrades 
he crossed the Potomac below Leesburg, and proceeded 
through the country to a wood near Middlebrook, where 
the party passed the night. The next morning Orrick 
stationed himself on the road side to look out for Yan¬ 
kees. He had not been long in that jDosition before a 
traveler in citizens’ clothes, but riding an army saddle and 
wearing large brass spurs, passed. The man was halted 
and ordered to surrender, which he did promptly. He 
was very much frightened, and pleaded to be released be¬ 
cause he was a Democrat. But Orrick told him that he 




John OrricWs Adventures. 


343 


did not see much difference between a War Democrat and 
a Republican, and took from him a good horse and a fine 
pair of pistols, though it turned out that there was no 
harm in the man, for he was only a sutler’s clerk bound 
for Frederick City. 

That night the Rangers took from the poor clerk a 
blue jacket which he carried with him, and turned him 
loose, assured that the Federal army would gain but lit¬ 
tle strength from War Democrats of that pattern. 

The next day the party took up a position in the vicin¬ 
ity of Darnestown, where they captured three soldiers, 
and that night proceeded toward Rockville, near which 
place they concealed themselves in a body of pines. 

The succeeding morning Orrick and Riley, dressed in 
blue jackets, started for the house of old man Spates to 
get something to eat. As they passed through a meadow 
they encountered a party of negroes at work. The scouts 
stopped and inquired of them if they had seen any Rebs 
about. One of the negroes promptly replied, “ Oh yes, 
massa, we just saw four of dem down in de pines.” Or¬ 
rick replied, “ We have just caught six,” and then added, 
“ If you see any more of them, come to camp, for we have 
plenty of coffee and sugar.” 

The two cavaliers then rode to the house, where they 
found three gentlemen, one of whom was a minister. At 
their request a snack was set before them, and soon the 
disguised Confederates fell into conversation with their 
entertainers, to whom they represented themselves as sol¬ 
diers from Chicago. At length one of the company men¬ 
tioned the name of Orrick, saying that at that time he 
was scouting in the neighborhood, and inquired if they 
had fallen in with him. Orrick then called for a descrip¬ 
tion of himself, which was very correctly given, and add¬ 
ed that it would be a good thing for the Reb not to fall 
in with his party, though it would be a good thing for 


344 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

tlie camp at Seneca if lie were caught. Having finished 
their meal, the two strangers arose, and Orrick in a very 
polite manner introduced himself to the company. Their 
astonishment, of course, was very great, and the only com¬ 
pensation which the scouts demanded for the information 
which had been volunteered about their presence in the 
country was a plenty of provisions for their friends in the 
woods. 

As they walked out on the porch, they beheld at the 
distance of half a mile a cloud of dust, and, bidding their 
entertainers good-by, put spurs to their horses and were 
soon out of sight on their way to rejoin their companions. 
After some farther adventures, which resulted in the cap¬ 
ture of several prisoners, the Rangers started for Howard 
County, from which place Orrick concluded to make a trip 
to Baltimore City, which was distant from the point at 
which they had stopped about eighteen miles. 

So, the following morning, dressed in a suit of citizens’ 
clothes which he had borrowed, he started for the city, 
which he reached without adventure, and where he re¬ 
mained a day and night. While there he gathered much 
useful information, and purchased gray cloth for a uni¬ 
form and other articles useful to the Ranger service. 

When he was about five miles from Baltimore, on his 
return, he was stopped by six soldiers, who, after many 
questions, which he answered to their satisfaction, allowed 
him to drive on. 

That night the Rangers started for Montgomery County 
by a jDale moonlight. As they were riding through a 
field they passed the frame of a house filled with hay, 
around which were a number of horses engaged in eat¬ 
ing. Orrick was in front, and rode up to them under the 
belief that they were colts, but soon discovered about 
twenty of the blue-coats asleep on the ground. He wheel¬ 
ed his horse, but in so doing rode over a plank, the sound 


John 0metis Adventures. 


345 


of which aroused the sleeping soldiers, who at once sprang 
to their feet and began a pursuit. But the fugitives found 
no difficulty in eluding their pursuers, and, after a rapid 
ride ot five miles, allowed their horses to relapse into a 
slow pace. Soon, however, the sound of hoofs from be 
hind was heard, and knowing from what cause it proceed¬ 
ed, they turned into a wood until the Yankees had charged 
by, and then determined, as they were traveling in the 
same direction, to act as rear-guard to their pursuers. 

They had not proceeded far before they came upon a 
Yank engaged in adjusting the girths to his saddle. They 
captured the soldier, who proved to be a good-humored 
fellow, for, as he rode off with his captors, he said, 

“Well, boys, you are a rare set of fellows. Is your 
colonel along ? for of all men I desire most to see him .' 7 

The Rangers answered his question, and, in return, 
were informed that his party had been sent to watch the 
house of a citizen who was suspected of being a Southern 
sympathizer. 

The scouts then proceeded to a wood near Darnestown, 
and the next morning Orrick, leaving his co-mates, went 
to the house of a citizen in search of information. While 
engaged in conversation with the young ladies of the 
family, a knock was heard at the door. The soldier ran 
into an adjoining room, and mounted the staircase with 
which it communicated, followed by one of the young 
ladies. There was an old-fashioned chest in one of the 
rooms, in which he was hastily concealed, and a large 
box then placed on the lid. After Orrick had laid there 
for half an hour, and had become much cramped in his 
close quarters, he determined rather to risk the chance of 
capture than to continue in so uncomfortable a position. 
With a spring he burst open with a loud noise the lid 
of the chest, and, drawing his revolver, advanced to the 
head of the stairs, determined there to aw^ait his fate, 


346 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

fully assured that in that position he would he a match 
for several assailants. But instead of the Yankees there 
approached a lady, who informed him that all danger was 
past, for that the Federal soldiers, from whom the knock 
at the door had proceeded, had left the house without 
being aware of his presence. By an early hour the next 
day the Bangers had recrossed the Potomac with the in¬ 
formation which they had been sent to obtain. 

Soon after the Greenback Paid, Mosby directed Orrick 
to go to Frederick City, and ascertain the force of the en¬ 
emy at that point, and the situation of their camj)s. Ac¬ 
companied by Bobinson, of Maryland, he crossed the 
Potomac at White’s Ford, and having procured a suit of 
citizen’s clothes, together with a buggy and horse, from 
a friend, he started for the camp. As he passed through 
the little town of Urbana he encountered two Federal 
soldiers, who allowed him to proceed unmolested; but 
he had not gone more than a mile when one of them, 
having had his suspicions aroused, no doubt, overtook 
him, and demanded of Orrick his place of residence. 

“Bocksville,” promptly responded the scout, and, in his 
turn, inquired the news of the day. 

The soldier replied, “ Sheridan is giving Early h—11.” 

Orrick said, “ That’s right; I wish he would kill them 
all.” 

In this way the soldiers chatted until they reached the 
Monocacy Junction, a point three miles distant from 
Frederick City, and where there was quite a camp of 
soldiers. Orrick desired to ascertain the strength of this, 
but was at a loss to know how to accomplish this object. 
He drew up his horse, therefore, near the picket, who 
approached him and demanded what he wanted. The 
scout replied that he was waiting for the cars to pass, as 
his horse was wild, and then occupied himself with count¬ 
ing the tents, which he found to be twenty-six in num- 



John Or rick's Adventures . 


347 


ber. Allowing six men to a tent, the inference was drawn 
that a force of one hundred and fifty-six Yankees was 
stationed at this point. Possessed of this information, he 
drove to Frederick City, and stopped at the City Hotel, 
where he registered himself as William Jones, Montgom¬ 
ery County, Maryland. 

He had scarcely taken his seat in the public room be¬ 
fore a stranger, who looked, Orrick thought, very much 
like a detective, walked up to the register, and, after read¬ 
ing the list of fresh arrivals, inquired of the clerk if Wil¬ 
liam Jones was in. Orrick thought certainly that his 
time had come, and that the Yankees would give him a 
hempen collar. He determined, however, to put on a 
bold face; so he walked to the desk, and informed the 
stranger that he was William Jones, who inquired if he 
had brought his “hounds” with him. Orrick replied, 
“ You have mistaken your man.” The stranger, having 
explained to him that he was expecting his hounds to be 
sent to him by a gentleman of that name, bowed and 
retired. That evening the Hanger visited several of his 
lady friends who resided in the town, and agreed to drive 
with one of them the next day on the roads on which the 
troops were encamped. By this drive he possessed him¬ 
self of the information he was sent to acquire. The day 
following Orrick attended a large McClellan mass meet¬ 
ing, and, in the garb of a citizen, passed in the crowd for 
a first-rate Democrat. His mission being accomplished, 
he proceeded to rejoin Bobinson, and, resuming his own 
clothes, the two soldiers started for the river, which they 
did not reach, however, without several farther adven¬ 
tures with the Yankees, such as were ever recurring with 
Mosby’s men on the other side of the river. 


348 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 


CHAPTER XLIV. 

CAPTURE OF GENERAL DUFFIE AND OTHER EXPLOITS. 

Upper Fauquier, November 10th, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— In obedience to bis policy of extending 
to the people in whose midst he was waging war all the 
protection in his power, as far as it was compatible with 
the higher policy of co-operating with the main armies, 
Mosby ordered Captain William Chapman, with his squad¬ 
ron, to proceed to Piedmont, to check the ravages of the en¬ 
emy in that vicinity. The Yankees had a habit of chasing 
scouts who ventured too near their camp, and accordingly 
Captain Chapman dispatched Shacklett and an Irishman 
down Crooked Run to draw them out. The stratagem suc¬ 
ceeded. Two squadrons came out from camp. Shacklett 
escaped, but Pat, who was poorly mounted, was gobbled up. 
The Yankees then devoted their energies to plundering. 
Mrs. Fletcher’s house was convenient, and they helped them¬ 
selves liberally to hay first, and then to calves, pigs, sheep, 
chickens, turkeys, geese, apples, and what not. The sun 
had just set when they turned their horses’ heads toward 
camp, as jolly as may be. But, alas for human happiness! 
a lion had stolen out and concealed himself in their 
path. Captain William Chapman, from a height, had 
watched them as they passed, and, while they were busy 
at Mrs. Fletcher’s, had, with his squadron, descended a ra¬ 
vine to an advantageous position on the road between 
them and their camp. It was nearly dark when they 
came up. They were charged home with a yell. Sam 
Chapman, with his company, galloped along their flanks, 
pistoling them with impunity, while Captain William 



Capture of General Duffie and other Exploits. 349 

Chapman crowded their front, now turned to rear, more 
quickly than it could have possibly been done by any oth¬ 
er process. Thus jammed up, seven of the Yankees were 
killed at that place, and twelve wounded. At length they 
broke through all obstacles, the Rangers pressing and 
shooting them at every jump. Night alone prevented 
the capture or destruction of the whole party. As it was, 
not less than forty were killed and wounded, and twen¬ 
ty-nine taken prisoners. 

The slaughter was so great that a complaint was lodged 
with the colonel of the regiment that prisoners had been 
shot after surrender, whereupon he addressed a communi¬ 
cation to Mosby, inquiring into it, but was assured there 
was no truth in the story. 

One of Chapman’s men, Joe Kennally, from the Valley, 
had, without assistance, taken two prisoners, and, amid the 
darkness, was conducting them to his command. Seizing 
a moment when his attention was relaxed, they attacked 
him, and it was only by the exertion of great courage and 
strength that he saved his own life and killed both of his 
assailants. 

With Companies “ A,” “ B,” and “ D,” Mosby marched 
to Fairfax, with the purpose of attackiug a large wagon- 
train near Fairfax Station, but failed to do it, the enemy 
having been notified of his approach. He then made a 
demonstration on a fort near Anandale, capturing some 
pickets, and sent Mountjoy to make a strike near Falls 
Church, with orders afterward to join him in Loudoun, 
whither he proceeded. Mountjoy created a great commo¬ 
tion at Falls Church, and returned bringing with him twelve 
prisoners and horses. Meanwhile Mosby’s presence in 
Fairfax had been telegraphed to General Augur, and he 
sent his cavalry in pursuit of him, but, as the Yankees 
marched down to Fairfax, Mosby marched up to Lou¬ 
doun. Without delay he dispatched Richards, with a 


350 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

squadron, to operate near Winchester, while he, with 
Mountjoy’s company, marched toward Bunker Hill, with 
the intention of attacking a wagon-train, but found it too 
heavily guarded. Mosby then returned to Fauquier, and 
collected the battalion for the purpose of striking a heavy 
blow at Sheridan’s communications. Camping on the 
Valley Turnpike, tvitkin a few miles of Bunker Hill, he 
and Captain Chajman went out to reconnoitre the road, 
and soon beheld an ambulance coming down, with an es¬ 
cort of twenty cavalry. Cl^man was sent, with twelve 
men, to charge the escort in the rear, while Grogan, with 
another detachment, was directed to charge in front. 
About that time a large wagon-train made its appearance, 
coming from the direction of Martinsburg, which the am¬ 
bulance and escort made a strenuous exertion to reach. 
But Chapman was too quick for them, and overtook the 
ambulance within two hundred yards of the train. As 
the train hove in sight, Mosby advanced his command of 
three hundred and seventy-five men, and, as he galloped 
toward the turnpike, met Boyd Smith and John Dixon 
escorting their captives to the rear. 

“ Colonel, here’s your general,” said Boyd Smith. 

“ Who are you ?” said Mosby, addressing the captive. 

“ General Duffie,” replied the stranger. 

“ Take him to the rear,” said Mosby, and passed on to 
attack the train. Not having discovered the overwhelm¬ 
ing force which guarded it, he sent Chapman and Mount- 
joy, with their squadrons, to attack it in front, while he, 
with Bichards’s squadron, would attack it in rear. The 
two officers easily drove the three hundred Federal cav¬ 
alry in advance back upon the infantry, who, in their 
turn, drove back the Bangers. Mosby, seeing his men 
retreating in confusion, rode rapidly up to rally and re¬ 
form them, but, as he did so, discovered, in addition to 
the enemy’s cavalry and infantry, two pieces of artillery. 


Capture of General Duffle and other Exploits. 351 

The guns opened upon him, and he at once drew off 
hoping to be followed by the Federal cavalry, which had 
again advanced. But this hope was disappointed, for 
the train had in charge a great sum of money, and Col¬ 
onel Currie, in command of the escort, had been ordered 
not to make any attacks. 

General Duffie occupied a very unpleasant position. 
When at the head of his brigade in the streets of Paris, 
he had ordered his men to shoot all prisoners taken from 
Mosby’s command. Sergeant Magner, of Company “ D,” 
had fallen into his hands, and was on the point of being 
executed, in obedience to these bloody instructions, when' 
a citizen testified that he belonged to the 6th Virginia 
Cavalry—an assertion which carried with it the stronger 
probability, as he had once 1 belonged to that regiment, 
and still had about him papers which showed his con¬ 
nection with it. By this device Magner was saved, and 
was sent as a prisoner of war to Harper’s Ferry, from 
which place he managed to make his escaj>e. Such was 
General Duffie’s antecedents when he found himself in 
the hands of Mosby. The hanging at Front Boyal was 
fresh in the memory, and the Bangers clamored for his 
blood, for the manes of Anderson and Overby had never 
been avenged. The Southern newspapers also had vio¬ 
lently urged retaliation upon ruthless officers whenever 
they might be captured. But Mosby had resolved to 
pursue another course, and General Duffie was spared, 
for what cared he for the declamations ot newspaper edi¬ 
tors or the angry counsels of his own soldiers ? 

Richards was dispatched with his squadron to inter¬ 
cept a scouting-party of about one hundred \ ankees, who 
had been in the habit of coming out from the Plains to¬ 
ward Middleburg. He watched for them all day on one 
road, but, failing to post a vedette on a parallel load, let 
the opportunity slip of catching them. “ Southdown” 

again! 


352 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Chapman, with his squadron, was sent to look after for¬ 
aging parties which Sheridan was in the habit of sending 
out in the neighborhood of White Post and Front Royal, 
while Mosby, with Companies “ D” and “ F,” proceeded 
to the vicinity of Sheridan’s army, which was then lying 
between Newtown and Winchester. But his presence 
was discovered, and he was compelled to withdraw. He 
then determined in person to look after the foragers, and 
soon saw a train of wagons, escorted by cavalry and in¬ 
fantry, coming down the road. Mosby halted his com¬ 
mand, and went forward to reconnoitre, and fell in with 
Chapman, who was likewise hovering about the wagons, 
ready to pounce upon them. Chapman was sent behind 
the wagons to ascertain the strength of the guard, and 
soon reported that, if Mosby would agree, he could cap¬ 
ture the entire party. Consent was given; and Chapman, 
deploying his men so as to exaggerate his force, accom¬ 
plished his purpose without firing a shot. 

Meanwhile Lieutenant Frank Turner, with Company 
a F,” had been over about Newtown, and had captured a 
good many prisoners. Mosby then returned to Fauquier, 
and after a few days went back to the Valley on a trip 
to Martinsburg, which failed of results on account of be¬ 
ing misled by the guide. Captain Chapman also made 
several raids to Warren County with his usual success, 
while Richards and Frank Turner, with small detach¬ 
ments, operated frequently on the Valley Turnpike near 
Newtown. On one of these occasions Richards assumed 
the character of a provost-guard. All small parties were 
required to exhibit their passes, none of which would 
satisfy the scruples of that military constable. He met 
a small band of horsemen as a command of infantry was 
in the act of passing. He held them in conversation till 
the infantry were out of sight, and then, in a tone of au¬ 
thority, demanded their passes. The spokesman of the 


Capture of General Du fie and other Exploits. 353 

party produced one signed by Sheridan himself, but was 
told that it was not sufficient. “ The d—1!” replied the 
Yankee. “ Things have come to a high pass when a man 
can’t travel this road on General Sheridan’s authority.” 

u And yet,” said Richards, “ that is the exact condition 
of things. You will have to go with me.” This was a 
pretty game for a small party to play at, but hazardous 
in the midst of a Yankee camp. 

About the last of October, when General Augur was 
preparing to abandon the Manassas Gap Railroad, a de¬ 
tachment of the 8th Illinois Cavalry was sent from Rec- 
tortown in the direction of Hatcher’s Mill, which, you 
will remember, is on the Little River Turnpike, between 
Middleburg and Upperville. With one hundred and 
seven men, Captain Frankland followed their trail for a 
short distance, and then, with one man, pursued rapidly, 
leaving Lieutenant Wren with the column to move on at 
a slower pace. Upon reaching Hatcher’s Mill, the Yan¬ 
kees marched in the direction of Upperville, followed by 
Frankland, till he fell in with Mosby and Hatcher. He 
was at once ordered to return to the command, and 
throw himself between the Yankees and their camp, 
Mosby adding, “ I want you to make it a second Dranes- 
ville. I will do the scouting, and keep you informed of 
the enemy’s movements.” 

From Upperville, the detachment from the 8th Illinois 
headed toward Rectortown, and marched across the 
stretch of level pasture-land in which the house of Mr. 
Henry Dulaney is situated, which enabled Frankland, 
without difficulty, to occupy a position in their front. 
But, instead of falling back and forming an ambuscade, 
as had been done at the second Dranesville, Captain 
Frankland deliberated whether he should not make the 
attack in open field, for the Yankees had now reached 
the Dulaney house. At this conjuncture, Captain Wright 

Z 


354 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

James and Lieutenant Hatcher came from Mosby with a 
repetition of his order. But, having taken counsel with 
Grogan and Wren, who are always ready for a fight, as 
to the probability of a victorious result, Captain Frank- 
land assumed the responsibility of engaging the enemy 
in the open field. Hatcher, offended with this determi¬ 
nation, said he would have nothing to do with the affair, 
and returned to Mosby; but Captain James, who is a 
fighting quartermaster, embraced the opportunity of 
uniting in the charge. 

The following dispositions for the fight were made. 
Grogan, with thirty men, was sent around on the right 
to make a flank attack, while Frankland, with Wren’s 
portion of the command, charged in front. But the com¬ 
bination failed. The two parties struck alternately, and 
were alternately driven off. 

The Federal loss was slight, but that of the battalion 
was severe—four prisoners and seven wounded, of whom 
four died—Carrington, Davis, Gulick, and Atkins. 

Atkins had but recently come from Ireland, and, in 
consequence, had been with us but a short time, yet long 
enough to have earned, with all who knew him, the repu¬ 
tation of a gentleman and a brave soldier. 

During the occupation of the Manassas Gap Railroad 
by Federal troops, the Blue Ridge alone separated them 
from the army in the Valley, and communication between 
their respective commanders was maintained by means 
of small detachments of cavalry. But the result was un¬ 
certain, and the means hazardous. On one occasion a 
party of twenty Yankees going toward the Valley were 
captured in Ashby’s Gap by eight of Mosby’s men, and 
a dispatch in cipher for General Sheridan taken from 
them. This closes the operations during the month of 
October. 




Retaliation.—Execution of Seven of Custer's Men. 355 


CHAPTER XLV. 

RETALIATION.-EXECUTION OF SEVEN OF CUSTER’S MEN. 

Gordonsdale, near the Plains, November 25th, 1864. 

Dear Percy, — I write this letter from the residence 
of Dr. Robert E. Peyton, who but recently has been re¬ 
lieved from the painful duresse to which he and certain 
other prominent gentlemen in this neighborhood have 
been subjected by the enemy, in consequence of Mos- 
by’s attack on the trains which they attempted to run 
on the Manassas Gap Railroad, and to which I have al¬ 
luded in a previous letter. Gordonsdale is one of the 
most beautiful residences I have seen in Fauquier, both 
on account of the* romantic scenery by which it is sur¬ 
rounded, and the taste displayed in its adornment, for it 
has been in possession of the doctor’s family since the 
first settlement of the country. 

After the occupation of the Manassas Gap Railroad 
for one month, General Augur withdrew his forces, con¬ 
vinced, as it would appear, that, as long as the “ Guerrilla 
Mosby” remained in the country, he could not, by means 
of it, establish a base for General Sheridan in the Upper 
Valley. 

During this period in which Mosby was enveloped in 
the enemies’ lines, he killed and captured six hundred of 
their number, with a loss to himself of only thirty men, 
one of the most brilliant results to be found in the do¬ 
main of military history when the disproportion of forces 
is taken into consideration, and the fact that an important 
combination of the enemy was defeated by it. 

Before the road was abandoned, the rails were torn up 


356 


Partisan Life ivitli Mosby. 

and sent to Harper’s Ferry, Mosby harassing the baffled 
and retreating foe at every point until the work of de¬ 
struction had progressed as far as Manassas. 

Early in November, Cajrtain A. E. Richards, with ten 
men, was sent to the rear of Sheridan’s army, then lying 
between Middletown and Strasburg. From a position 
near the turnpike, in the course of the day he captured 
fifteen prisoners, among whom were Captain Brewster, 
of Custer’s staff, and his brother, a lawyer, bound on a 
canvassing expedition to the army in the interest of Gen¬ 
eral M‘Clellan. There were also among the prisoners a 
newsboy and a drummer-boy. The newsboy had often 
before been captured by Richards, but had always been 
released, and on this occasion received the same clem¬ 
ency. The drummer-boy claimed his liberty likewise, 
and pleaded hard for it; but Richards said, “ No, the 
drum excites men to battle, but the newspaper is often 
the source of demoralization and defeat.” As the prison¬ 
ers, in charge of Dr. Sowers, were passing through Ashby’s 
Gap, they were met by Mosby, who, when informed that 
they belonged to General Custer’s division, determined 
to retaliate upon them for the death of the Rangers who 
had been executed at Front Royal. He therefore order¬ 
ed them to be kept under close guard until his return to 
Faucpiier. 

In a few days Mosby left Mountjoy with twenty-three 
men in the Valley, and proceeded to Rectortown to exe¬ 
cute his purpose. Meanwhile another party of Custer’s 
men had been captured by Mountjoy, and left in charge of 
Jimmy Chilton at the residence of a citizen on the Blue 
Ridge. These prisoners were confined in a school-house, 
and appeared to be comfortable and cheerful, expressing 
their surprise at receiving such kind treatment at the 
hands of Mosby’s men. One of them especially was in¬ 
clined to talk. He was young, handsome, intelligent, and 


Retaliation.—Execution of Seven of Custer's Men . 357 

gentlemanly in appearance. The conversation was so 
pleasant and friendly that Jimmy quite forgot the bel¬ 
ligerent relation in which they stood to each other. But 
soon the tranquillity of the scene was rudely and pain¬ 
fully disturbed by the entrance of two Rangers, who, 
without preliminary, demanded of the prisoners to whose 
command they belonged. Several promptly responded, 

“We belong to Custer’s division.” 

“ Then,” said the men, “ you are to be hung. Come 
along.” 

The announcement produced a terrible shock; and the 
prisoner to whom reference has been made rose up, and 
with great calmness said, 

“1 understand the reason of this. It is in retaliation 
for the hanging at Front Royal, and I do not condemn 
you for it. But I desire to make this statement: though 
I now belong to General Custer’s command, yet I did not 
belong to it when that deed was perpetrated. I do not 
think, in justice, that I ought to be punished for the ac¬ 
tion of that officer before I had any connection with him.” 
The case was a hard one, but he was, nevertheless, march¬ 
ed off with his comrades. 

On the day appointed for the execution, the battalion 
assembled at Rectortown. About 11 o’clock A.M. Mos- 
by arrived, prepared to enter upon his painful task. 
There were twenty-seven men left after Brewster, the 
lawyer, was excluded from the lottery, and on the list 
were the names of two officers—Captain Brewster and a 
lieutenant of artillery. An officer was detailed to super¬ 
intend the sad affair, and Mosby withdrew from the pain¬ 
ful scene, saying, “ This duty must be performed for the 
protection of my men from the ruthless Custer and Pow¬ 
ell.” The prisoners were drawn up in single rank, and 
for each a bit of paper was prepared, but seven only of 
them were numbered. They were then all put into a 



THE CAPTIVES DRAWING LOTS. 





























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Retaliation.—Execution of Seven of Custer's Men . 359 

hat, and each prisoner was required to draw forth one 
of them. Those who drew blanks were to be sent to 
Richmond as prisoners of war, but those who drew num¬ 
bers were to be hung. Various were the emotions de¬ 
picted on the countenance as each man put his hand in 
the hat. Firmness, with his closed lips and unquailing 
eye; stolid Indifference; and Fear, with his ashen cheek 
and trembling hand, were all there. Brewster, the law¬ 
yer, was there too, and with agonized looks was watch¬ 
ing the fate of his brother, while tears coursed down his 
cheeks. As each hand was taken from the hat, an ex¬ 
pression of joy and relief would brighten the countenance, 
or a groan of anguish or a cry of despair would burst 
from the lips. 

The condemned men were at once set apart and close¬ 
ly guarded. The two officers had drawn blanks, but not 
so the drummer-boy. His appeals to Caj^tain Richards 
were now louder and more eloquent than ever, who, 
touched with compassion, interceded with Mosby for his 
release. The application was granted, for the boy, in 
truth, ought never to have been subjected to the lottery. 
But another had to be substituted in his place, for Mos¬ 
by remembered the blackened corpses of Overby and 
Carter as they hung in the parching wind. 

The prisoners, in cruel suspense, again stood in line, 
but now only one death-warrant was in the hat. Cap¬ 
tain Brewster again escaped, but the artillery officer was 
not so fortunate. 

A detail was made to execute the sentence of retalia¬ 
tion, for the condemned soldiers were to be carried to the 
Valley, and were to be executed in the neighborhood of 
Winchester. As the party was passing through Ashby’s 
Gap they were met by Captain Mountjoy, who was re¬ 
turning from the Valley with an additional supply of 
prisoners taken from General Custer’s command. Among 


3G0 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

/ 

the men condemned to death he recognized the artillery 
officer and one of his companions to be Freemasons, and 
on his own responsibility substituted in their places two 
of his own prisoners. The melancholy procession again 
set forward. Owing to the darkness, the road was lost, 

and at daylight S-, who was in command of the party, 

found himself at Rosemont, on the edge of Berryville, 
and he there determined to execute the sentence, for one 
prisoner had already escaped, and had not been missed 
until then. 

The man who was first called up begged for delay, and 
said he was not ready to die. His request was granted, 
and he was postponed till the last. Three were hung 
and the others shot. But the last prisoner, when his turn 
came, was not then prepared to die, and, striking the 
guard who held him by the collar a blow which felled 
him to the ground, rushed past him, and, screened by the 
misty dawn, was soon lost to view. 

When the substitution made by Captain Mountjoy 
was reported to Mosby he was much offended, and with 
severity told him he must remember in future that his 
command was not a masonic lodge. 

A few days after this execution Colonel Mosby trans¬ 
mitted to General Sheridan the following communication: 

“ November 11th, 1864. 

“Maj. Gen.P. H. Sheridan, Commanding U. S. Forces in the Valley: 

“ General, —Some time in the month of September, during my 
absence from my command, six of my men, who had been captured 
by your forces, were hung and shot in the streets of Front Royal, by 
the order and in the immediate presence of Brig. Gen. Custer. 
Since then, another (captured by a Colonel Powell, on a plundering 
expedition into Rappahannock) shared a similar fate. A label 
affixed to the coat of one of the murdered men declared 4 that this 
would be the fate of Mosby and all his men.’ Since the murder of 
my men, not less than seven hundred prisoners, including many 
officers of high rank, captured from your army by this command, 
have been forwarded to Richmond; but the execution of my pur- 



Retaliation.—Execution of Seven of Custer's Men. 361 

pose of retaliation was deferred, in order, as far as possible, to con¬ 
fine its operation to the men of Custer and Powell. Accordingly, 
on the 6th mst., seven of your men were, by my order, executed on 
the Valley Turnpike, your highway of travel. Hereafter, any pris¬ 
oners falling into my hands will be treated with the kindness due 
to their condition, unless some new act of barbarity shall compel 
me reluctantly to adopt a line of policy repugnant to humanity. 

“Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

“ J ohn S. Mosby, Lieutenant Colonel.” 

About this time Glasscock made a successful raid about 
Charlestown, capturing a number of horses, wagons, and 
prisoners. 

A few days later, Lieutenant Frank Turner made a 
successful strike on the Shenandoah, known in the com¬ 
mand as the “Hat Raid,” the circumstances of which I 
will briefly relate. With twenty-live men he had been to 
Summit Point, in the Valley, and had captured, with its 
guard, a four-mule wagon, loaded with a stove, carpeting, 
and other articles taken from a neighboring church. 
Sending his captures to the Trap, he proceeded to a point 
on the river near the Shanandale Springs for the pur¬ 
pose of capturing a picket stationed there, but, on account 
of the darkness, abandoned the enterprise, and determ¬ 
ined to lie in wait for the relief as it approached the 
next morning. 

At the expected hour, Captain Gary, of Company “ I,” 
12th Pennsylvania Cavalry, drew near, with fifty eight 
men. Turner charged them. Company “I” broke and 
scattered, hotly pursued by the Rangers. The result of 
the fight, if such it might be called, was, six of the Fed- 
erals killed and wounded, and twenty-seven men and 
horses captured. The flight was so precipitate that not 
less than forty hats were dropped by the gallant cava¬ 
liers. It was an amusing sight to see Mosby’s men 
marching home, each surmounted with a high-crowned 
United States regulation hat, with the regimental letters 


362 Partisan Life with Mosby . 

and cross sabres. Turner’s loss = 0. Hurrah for Com¬ 
pany “I!” 

Lieutenant Glasscock was sent about this time to the 
Valley Turnpike, across which he spread his net, and 
soon took prisoners four couriers and eight soldiers from 
Sheridan’s army. In the afternoon he was informed that 
two wagons, escorted by twenty cavalry, had passed up 
the Front Royal Turnpike on a foraging expedition. He 
followed them to a field, in which he discovered about 
fifty Federal soldiers scattered, shucking corn. 

About half of the Rangers were clad in overcoats which 
they had taken from the prisoners, and these Glasscock 
ordered to the front before the column entered the field. 
The Yankees were all captured save one, at whom a sin¬ 
gle shot was fired. But this shot excited the attention 
of a battalion of United States cavalry which was gath¬ 
ering corn in an adjoining field, but had been concealed 
from view by a thick growth of sassafras bushes. As 
soon as he was apprised of the presence of this force, 
Glasscock, determined to put a bold face on the matter, 
rode into the field, and was hailed by the major com¬ 
manding with the inquiry, “ Who are you?” In the most 
natural way he replied, “ Captain Blazerbut of him, it 
appeared, the major had never heard. During the collo¬ 
quy which ensued, the prisoner who had escaped gal¬ 
loped up and shouted, “They are Rebels, and I have just 
escaped from their hands.” Deception being no longer 
possible even for the wily Glasscock, he hauled down 
the United States colors, and galloped over the hill amid 
a shower of bullets. 

On the retreat, the prisoners, many of whom had been 
allowed to retain their arms, resisted the guard. A fight 
ensued, which resulted in the escajDe of all but eleven, 
with whom and their horses Lieutenant Glasscock re¬ 
crossed the Shenandoah. 


Retaliation—Execution of Seven of Custer's Men. 363 

A few days later John Russell struck a successful blow 
near Winchester, capturing a considerable number of pris¬ 
oners and horses; and about the same time, Captain 
Mountjoy, on the same theatre of action, attacked a body 
of cavalry, and killed and captured about twenty of them. 
But on his return he fell in with Captain Blazer, who re¬ 
captured the horses and liberated the prisoners. I will 
recount the circumstances of this reverse, for Blazer has 
been the most formidable Federal officer with whom we 
have had to cope in the Valley. 

When Mountjoy reached Berryville on the homeward 
route, he allowed those of his command who boarded in 
Loudoun to cross the river at Castleman’s Ferry, while 
with about thirty men he marched up its bank, with the 
intention of crossing at Berry’s Ferry. 

When he reached the residence of Mr. Frank Whiting, 
two miles from that crossing, he was attacked by Blazer. 
The Partisans broke and fled toward the river, notwith¬ 
standing the strenuous exertions of Mountjoy and Grogan 
to rally them. 

With a party of his men Captain Mountjoy reached 
the Vineyard, the residence of Captain Esten Cooke, of 
Stuart’s staff, but more widely known as an accomplished 
author. There he again attempted to rally his men, but 
again without success. On the retreat from Whiting’s 
house William Armstead Braxton, of King William Coun¬ 
ty, Va., a gallant soldier who had recently joined the bat¬ 
talion, received a mortal wound, but was able to reach the 
Vineyard, where he was tenderly nursed till he died. As 
he lay wounded on a sofa, Lieutenant Cole, of Blazer’s com¬ 
mand, entered the house, and, approaching the dying sol¬ 
dier, expressed commiseration for his condition, and offer¬ 
ed such religious consolation as he could command. But 
his stay was short, for he said Mosby’s men would soon 
return for their dead and wounded. 


364 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 

Nottingham, from Maryland, received also a severe in¬ 
jury, and with difficulty escaped into the large forest 
which covers the space between the Vineyard and the 
Shenandoah. 

Lieutenant Edward Bredell, from St. Louis, Mo., was 
killed at Whiting’s house. He was a private in the bat¬ 
talion, and derived his title from a staff position which he 
had filled in the regular service. He was a brave soldier, 
and his loss is much regretted in the command. Bredell 
had a midnight funeral on the island, a sand deposit in 
the Shenandoah, but his remains have since been removed 
to Cool Spring Church, near Piedmont. 


CHAPTER XLVI. 

DEFEAT AND CAPTURE OF CAPTAIN BLAZER. 

Upper Fauquier, December 1st, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— On the day after .Mountjoy’s reverse, 
Chapman, with his squadron, crossed into the Valley at 
Ashby’s Gap, and Captain Richards, with his squadron, at 
Snicker’s Gap. It was Colonel Mosby’s intention to have 
accompanied Chapman, but he was too much indisposed, 
on account of a severe cold and excessive exertion. I will 
now relate with some particularity Captain Richards’s ex¬ 
pedition, as it resulted in a collision with Captain Blazer. 

Captain Blazer is a native of West Virginia, and the 
opening of the war found him in charge of a boat on the 
Ohio River. Embracing without hesitation the cause of 
the Union, he entered the ranks of an Ohio infantry regi¬ 
ment, in which he soon became captain. While this regi¬ 
ment'was serving with General Crook in West Virginia, 
that officer created an irregular command, composed of 
picked men, to collect intelligence and suppress bush- 



365 


Defeat and Capture of Captain Blazer. 

whackers, which should be responsible to himself alone. 
It was composed of one hundred men, and Captain Blazer 
was selected to command the Legion of Honor. In this 
new field he soon distinguished himself by intelligence, 
activity, and courage, and along with General Crook was 
transferred to the Valley of Virginia—a new and more 
conspicuous theatre of action. Here he was brought into 
collision with Mosby, and proved himself at one time, it 
was thought, a foeman worthy of his steel. His move¬ 
ments were rapid and generally successful. His expedi¬ 
tions lasted about three days, during which time he rare¬ 
ly went into camp until late at night, and always moved 
before daybreak. He appeared to be ever in the saddle, 
and was constantly turning up where he was least ex¬ 
pected and least desired. Such was his activity that 
scouts and furloughed soldiers never felt safe within the 
enemy’s lines, or in that broad neutral border which sep¬ 
arates the hostile forces. 

But these were not the only men who had reason to 
respect the valor of Captain Blazer. He often assailed 
the outposts of the Confederate army, and not unfrequent- 
ly participated in larger combats. Already he had sur¬ 
prised and routed the 1st squadron of the Partisan Bat¬ 
talion, and, to say the least, had won the respect, if he 
had not excited the apprehension of the rest of it. 
Scouts who had been sent to the Valley would, when 
they returned, often entertain their comrades with ac¬ 
counts of their escape from Blazer. His kindness to citi¬ 
zens was proverbial, and every where within the range of 
his activities the citizens were ready to bear honorable 
testimony to his character. His kindness sprang from 
the heart, but it might well have been the dictate of a re¬ 
fined policy, for it engendered for him a sympathy among 
the people which opened to him many a channel of in¬ 
formation. Mosby and Blazer could not long inhabit op- 



366 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

posite sides of tlie Bine Bidge Mountain, and Mosby was 
resolved to bring the rivalry to a speedy and decisive 
issue. 

When the Partisan chief parted from Richards, he bade 
his lieutenant to hunt Blazer up, and take men enough to 
whip him. Without delay, Bob Walker and Dr. Sowers 
were sent to the Valley to get information as to Blazer’s 
whereabouts, and at the same time Richards ordered the 
squadron to meet him at Bloomfield the next day. Early 
in the morning the scouts reported that Blazer had been 
ordered to Hampshire County, and had not returned. 
Not satisfied with the correctness of this information, 
Richards, with John Chew, Charley McDonough, Puryear, 
Welt Hatcher, and Henry Heaton, proceeded to the Val¬ 
ley, leaving the command to follow, in charge of Lieuten¬ 
ant Harry Hatcher. 

When he reached Snickersville he was told that, so far 
from being in Hampshire County, Blazer had camped with¬ 
in half a mile of the house in which Walker and Sowers 
had slept, and. before daylight had crossed the mountain 
at Snicker’s Gap, and, descending into Eastern Virginia, 
had marched in the direction of Hillsboro. 

Henry Heaton, with one man,'was ordered to follow his 
trail, and report to Richards at certain points on the west 
side of the river, who, with the remainder of his party, 
crossed over to Cabletown, a place to which Blazer had 
been much attracted by the political sympathies of the 
inhabitants. Lieutenant Hatcher had been ordered to 
bring the command to a wood near Castleman’s house, 
which is situated two or three miles south of Cabletown. 
Learning at this place that Blazer had not yet made his 
appearance, Richards directed Puryear and M‘Donough 
to proceed toward Charlestown, and ascertain whether his 
adversary had not crossed at some lower ford of the Shen¬ 
andoah, while he, with John Chew, went to join Hatcher. 


367 


Defeat and Capture of Captain Blazer. 

Hearing nothing of Blazer, the scouts returned about day¬ 
light to Cabletown, where they tarried until Puryear was 
surprised and captured by a party of Blazer’s men dress¬ 
ed in gray. McDonough escaped, and by a circuitous 
route joined his commander, and reported to him the fact 
of Blazer’s presence at Cabletown. The squadron was at 
once moved from Castleman’s Wood to a point near the 
house of Albert Davis, and concealed under a cliff of the 
river. AVhile it was in this position, Captain Blazer, 
whose command had been put in camp at Cabletown, 
came to Davis’s house and discovered its presence. He 
immediately returned to bring up his command, in order 
to attack Bichards’s squadron, while his adversary had 
gone by another route to charge into his camp. Thus were 
the two commanders, in search of each other, marching on 
opposite sections of a circle. Richards, who was the first 
to discover this fact, determined to profit by his knowledge, 
and select a position from which he could charge the ene¬ 
my’s flank. With this object, he formed his men in a de¬ 
pression in a small field about half a mile from Myerstown, 
and about two hundred yards south of the Myerstown 
and river road, from which it was concealed by a skirt of 
wood. But as Richards was about to profit by this strat¬ 
agem, and burst upon Blazer as he traveled the circle, one 
of his men, who was intoxicated, dashed suddenly for¬ 
ward, and discharged a pistol at the Federal column. 
Thus apprised of the presence of his enemy, Blazer at 
once passed through the wood, and halted to have a fence 
opened which alone separated his command from the 
squadron, then distant about seventy-five yards. 

This movement was mistaken by Richards for an in¬ 
tention on the part of Blazer to dismount his command, 
and fight him with rifles from the woodland. Under 
this impression, he rode to the position of Company u A,” 
and ordered Hatcher to send a party to open a fence on 


368 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

the liill immediately in rear of the squadron, it being 
Richards’s purpose to fall back over this hill, and compel 
the enemy to fight him in open ground. Blazer, mistak¬ 
ing this movement for a flight or a retreat, hastily moved 
through the fence into the oj>en field. At that moment 
Tom Richards, in temporary command of Company “ B,” 
assumed the responsibility of ordering a charge up the 
sloping plane which separated him from Blazer. Harry 
Hatcher, who witnessed this movement, dashed forward 
with Company “ A,” and struck the enemy’s right a little 
after his left had been thrown into confusion by Com¬ 
pany “ B.” A hand-to-hand combat ensued, in which the 
superiority of the revolving pistol to the rifle w T as soon 
demonstrated. 

Many of Blazer’s men were killed and wounded in the 
first shock, and the rest of his command soon gave way, 
flying toward Summit Point through Myerstown and 
Rippon. At Myerstown Blazer endeavored, under the 
shelter of the houses, to rally his men, but the fugitives 
continued their tumultuous retreat, leaving their dead 
and wounded strewn along the road. 

But it is time to return to Puryear. Being one of 
Mosby’s men, he was roughly treated by his captors, 
having been stripped of his hat, his overcoat, and other 
articles of clothing, and in addition, it is said, had been 
threatened by Lieutenant Cole with hanging. To these 
indignities the Ranger submitted at least with patience, 
for he was confident that ere long he would regain his 
liberty, and be enabled to retaliate, in perhaps another 
fashion, the injuries which he had received. Under some 
pretense the prisoner had possessed himself of a stick, 
with which, as soon as the fight began, he stunned his 
guard. In the next moment Johnny Foster furnished 
him with a pistol, in return for a service which Puryear 
had once rendered him in a fight, and he started in pur- 


369 


Defeat and Capture of Captain Blazer . 

suit of Lieutenant Cole. As that officer approached My¬ 
erstown, followed by two of his men, Puryear overtook 
him, and, after killing one of his attendants, inflicted with 
a pistol-shot a serious wound upon the lieutenant, which 
caused him to swerve from the Rippon road and flank 
around a blacksmith’s shop, with the intention, it is sup¬ 
posed, of making his way toward Cabletown. But his 
pursuer, inflamed with vengeance, followed close upon 
him, and, as he saw the pistol leveled again at him, he 
exclaimed, 

“ Oh, save me!” 

“Yes, I will save you,” answered the fierce and im¬ 
placable Puryear, and, receiving a death-shot, Lieutenant 
Cole dropped from his saddle. 

Blazer’s men, after they passed Myerstown, began to 
use their pistols, and the pursuit from that point became 
rather a running fight, Richards having seven men wound¬ 
ed beyond that place. 

But how fared it with Captain Blazer? Even after 
the fruitless effort at Myerstown he had attempted 1 6 
restore the fight, but his efforts served only to delay his 
own retreat, and render useless the fleetness of his horse. 
He was singled out by four men, justly ranked among 
the best soldiers in Mosby’s command—Sam Alexander, 
Syd Ferguson, Cab Maddux, and the terrible Powell. 
Now do thy speediest, Captain Blazer, for those are upon 
thy track who smite and spare not! The fight is lost, 
and all that the bravest can do now is to save himself 
for another trial of the chances of war. 

Indeed, after the pursuit had approached near Rippon, 
several shots from his pursuers admonished him of this 
fact, and he bent all of his roused energies toward mak¬ 
ing his escape. But the superiority of Ferguson’s mare, 
Fashion, one of the fleetest and hardiest animals in the 
battalion, enabled her rider to pass in succession all his 

A A 















371 


Defeat and Capture of Captain Blazer. 

competitors in that headlong pursuit, and place himself 
by the side of Blazer, who had thrown himself forward 
to escape the shots aimed at him from behind. Fergu¬ 
son, though one of Mosby’s “ spurless roosters,” as the 
Parson calls the juniors, is yet a very powerful man, and, 
rising in his stirrups, he struck Captain Blazer a blow 
with his pistol which brought him to the ground. There 
was one man who proposed to finish the work which Fer¬ 
guson had begun, but, with the chivalry of a true war¬ 
rior, he stood up in defense of his captive. 

Bichards lost, besides his wounded, Hudgins, who was 
killed. Blazer’s loss was twenty-four men killed, twelve 
wounded, and sixty-two prisoners and horses. When the 
result was reported to him, Mosby was at the house of 
Mrs. Waters, near Middleburg. He was overjoyed at the 
intelligence, and, springing from the sofa on which he 
was lying, gave a hearty cheer for Dolly Richards. 

A little later, Mosby, with a portion of Mountjoy’s 
company, got among the Yankees building winter quar¬ 
ters near Perkins’s Mill, on the Front Royal and Win¬ 
chester grade, and captured about thirty men and horses. 

With the 2d squadron Mosby crossed the Shenandoah 
at Berry’s Ferry for the purpose of extending some pro¬ 
tection to the citizens of Warren and Clarke against the 
foragers from Sheridan’s army, and camped for the night 
in the neighborhood of White Post. The next morning 
Captain William Chapman, with a scouting-party, cap¬ 
tured four or five prisoners, whom he immediately dis¬ 
patched to Fauquier in charge of Frank Angelo. He 
also discovered a train of ten wagons, guarded by thirty- 
five infantry and fifteen cavalry, which had been foraging 
in the neighborhood, returning to the brigade camp near 
Perkins’s Mill. 

Chapman returned to the Partisan camp, and Mosby 
started in pursuit, and overtook the train near a strong 


372 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

outpost, and just as it met another train coming out from 
the camp heavily guarded. He was not apprised of this 
casual junction when he ordered the charge, yet such 
was its impetuosity that it scattered the Federals, and 
drove them into the brigade not far distant. Both trains 
were captured—men, horses, wagons—and the Rangers 
rushed into the camp. It was about 4 o’clock in the aft¬ 
ernoon of a Yankee Thanksgiving Hay, and the soldiers 
were having a fine time seated around their camp-fires, 
and did not at once discover what had burst upon them. 
Their consternation saved us, and the men had time to 
rob them of their greenbacks before they rallied. But it 
was soon time for us to travel. The whole camp turned 
out to pursue. In the retreat, the coolness and bravery 
of Captain Chapman saved Mosby, and afforded time for 
the flying Rangers to make their escape. 

Mosby was riding a young, wild horse. The animal 
became unmanageable, the bridle-bit was broken, and the 
Yankees were charging and yelling close upon him. In 
this extremity Chapman rallied a few men, charged the 
pursuers, and for a time held them in check. Two of the 
men meanwhile, seeing Mosby’s peril, placed themselves 
one on each side the frantic animal, and, seizing the bri¬ 
dle, held him by the nose-strap, and in this way were 
enabled to moderate and direct his speed. In the charge 
Chapman’s horse was killed, but John Kernie, of Com¬ 
pany “ C,” sprang from his saddle, and, offering his horse 
to Chapman, said, “ Take him, captain; you are of more 
service to the cause than I.” 

When the fugitives had reached a point near the Win¬ 
chester and Millwood Turnpike, Major Otis, of the 21st 
Yew York, who gallantly led the pursuit, accompanied 
by one hundred men, struck across the angle formed by 
the two roads, and succeeded in dividing the Rangers. 
It was a perilous condition for those thus suddenly cut 



373 


Defeat and Capture of Captain Blazer . 

off, but Lieutenant Beattie was equal to the emergency. 
He gathered about him his men, and, by a charge worthy 
of Mosby himself, opened the line of retreat. By the 
time Major Otis reached Berry’s Ferry, Lieutenant Bus¬ 
sell, with five men, was the only force in front of him, for 
the rest of the force had scattered, and taken refuge in 
the woods. 

Mosby was stripped of most of his captures, and, in 
addition, lost three men. 

Angelo had loitered on the way, and, in consequence, 
had not reached Millwood until after Major Otis had 
passed in pursuit of Bussell. As he was proceeding 
through the street, he perceived a party of Federal cav¬ 
alry in his front. His men hastily abandoned the pris¬ 
oners and scattered, but Angelo determined to try the 
fortunes of war. He dashed forward, shooting right 
and left, and, being well mounted, succeeded in passing 
through the party referred to, and was moving in a live¬ 
ly gallop toward Berry’s Ferry, when he fell in with Ma¬ 
jor Otis and was captured, tie was carried before Gen¬ 
eral Sheridan, and by him was closely catechised. His 
life, however, was safe, for the enemy had been taught 
that it was no light thing to condemn to death prisoners 
captured from Mosby’s command. So Angelo, along 
with other prisoners, was confined at Martinsburg; but, 
by the exercise of ingenuity and boldness, he made his 
escape, and in a short time rejoined the battalion. 

I have omitted to mention that on the 15th of this 
month, by order of the War Department, the battalion 
was inspected by Lieutenant Meade, who reported it to 
be in fine condition, the best mounted and equipped in 
the service. 


374 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


CHAPTER XLVII. 

GENERAL MERRITT DEVASTATING THE VALLEY. 

Upper Fauquier, December 10th, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— About tbe 25th of November Mosby 
sent Captain Mountjoy, with thirty-eight men, to the 
neighborhood of Berryville, from which place the next 
day he recrossed the mountain to Snickersville, whete he 
was informed that Keys’s men were again across the 
Potomac, and were committing depredations on the farm¬ 
ers and housekeepers of Loudoun. He marched directly 
to Waterford, a favorite haunt, as I have before told you, 
for those warriors; but they were not there, and Mount- 
joy crossed the hills to a point on the Leesburg and 
Point of Rocks Road, and from thence proceeded toward 
Goresville, which lay farther on the road in the direction 
of Leesburg. As Vendeventer and another Ranger, who 
were in front, drew near this place, they reported the 
presence of a party of cavalry, which proved to be the 
Loudoun Rangers, under the command of Lieutenant 
Grahame, who had been on a raid to Leesburg, where he 
had captured Fred Smith and Cleveland Coleman, two of 
Mosby’s men, and was then on his way to the north side 
of the Potomac. 

Mountjoy at once closed up his men, moved rapidly 
toward Goresville, and, as soon as he came within a short 
distance of the Loudoun Rangers, charged them. The 
Yankees mistook the approaching column for friends, and 
good-humoredly getting out their liquor-flasks, prepared 
for a general treat. Their consternation may well be 
conceived when a furious yell burst upon their ears. The 


375 


General Merritt devastating the Valley . 

prisoners, it is needless to say, were abandoned, and join¬ 
ed in pursuit of their late captors. But the road was 
narrow, and could not pass all the fugitives, who broke 
into two parties, one turning to the right in a road which 
led to their native hills, the other pressing madly in the 
direction of the river. 

As Captain Mountjoy, mounted on a fleet bay horse, 
and accompanied by Grogan and Munroe Heiskell, was 
leading the pursuit near the “ Burnt Chimney,” one of the 
fugitives killed him with a pistol shot. 

“ ’Tis unnatural, 

Even like the deed that’s done. J 

A falcon, towering in her pride of place, 

Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.” 

The Loudoun Bangers lost in this fight twenty-five 
horses and thirteen prisoners, among whom was Lieu¬ 
tenant Grahame. 

Captain Mountjoy was buried in the cemetery at War- 
renton, and his best epitaph is the following order, issued 
by Mosby, than whom none knew him better. 

“ General Orders , No. -. 

“ Headquarters 43d P. R. B., December 3d, 1864. 

“ The lieutenant colonel commanding announces to the battalion, 
with emotions of deep sorrow, the death of Captain R. P. Mount¬ 
joy, who fell in action near Leesburg on the 27th ultimo, a costly 
sacrifice to victory. He died too early for liberty and his country’s 
cause, but not too early for his own fame. To his comrades in arms 
he has bequeathed an immortal example of daring and valor, and 
to his country a name that will brighten the page of her history.” 

In obedience to orders issued by the military author¬ 
ities, all the granaries, stack-yards, stables, and mills in 
the Valley of Virginia had been burned by General Sher¬ 
idan’s army, and General Merritt, toward, the latter part 
of November, crossed the Blue Bidge at Ashby’s and 
Snicker’s Gaps, to carry the work of destruction iifto Lou¬ 
doun and Upper Fauquier. This total departure from 



376 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

the usages of modern warfare, to be paralleled only by 
the example of a Tilly or a Genseric, originated in the 
conviction that, in addition to European mercenaries and 
insurrectionary negroes, the alliance of Famine, too, was 
necessary to subdue the stubborn spirit of resistance 
which animated the Southern people. 

The policy of devastation as a material agent is one of 
vast power, but its efficacy in restoring affection for the 
government that invokes it may well be doubted. But 
this is a question for politicians to ponder. It is mine 
to give an account, however imperfect, of this act of in¬ 
cendiarism in the most fruitful part of Mosby’s Confed¬ 
eracy. From Paris and Snickersville, as central points, 
strong detachments were sent through the devoted re¬ 
gion upon their destructive mission. In this way, Mer¬ 
ritt’s army of five thousand men was expanded like a fan 
from the Blue Bidge to the Bull Bun Mountain, and each 
soldier being armed with a torch, that terrible implement 
of war, this beautiful and productive region was soon re¬ 
duced to a waste. In order more certainly to enlist the 
starving cohorts of hunger on the side of the Constitu¬ 
tion and the laws, all farm-cattle, including milch-cows 
with their “ white abundance,” were carried off and col¬ 
lected in one vast drove at Snickersville. 

As soon as night invested the scene, blazing fires were 
visible in all directions, lighting up with their lucid glare 
the whole of the vast circumference, while columns of 
dense black smoke mounted up from the burning piles 
as though the demons of conflagration, rejoicing in the 
mischief they had wrought, had assumed those terrible 
forms in which to manifest themselves. Various were 
the emotions displayed by the agents of destruction as 
they would approach a smiling homestead. The most, 
animated by the spirit which dictated the inhuman or¬ 
ders, would laugh at the despair and wretchedness of the 


SWORD IN MOSBY’S CONFEDERACY" 
































































































































































































































































































































































































378 


Partisan Life with Mo shy. 

forlorn family; while others, with whom no political ob¬ 
ject could justify crime,invoked divine vengeance on the 
men who thus deliberately prepared for the helpless and 
innocent members of society—the old men, the women, 
the children, and the young maidens of this once happy 
land, death in its most revolting, lingering, and painful 
forms. As I gazed horror-struck upon the awful specta¬ 
cle, I was carried back to the dark and savage period 
when Attila, with his tierce barbarians, burst over the 
Alps and ravaged the plains of Italy, adorned with vine¬ 
yards and villas, and cities wdiicli in magnificence and 
population were hardly secondary to Rome herself. 
When I remembered the ties of consanguinity which 
united the hostile peoples, the startling theory of my 
friend the Philosopher forced itself into my mind, “ That 
republican institutions are imbued with an uncontrolla¬ 
ble tendency to barbarize and degrade the human char¬ 
acter, and that, instead of mounting higher in the ascend¬ 
ing circles of civilization, society, from the relaxation of 
the imposed and wholesome discipline of well-ordered 
states, sinks lower and lower in the moral scale, till An¬ 
archy, with its devouring jaws, ingulfs all things, return¬ 
ing man, the pride of the creation, for a season at least, to 
his savage state. 77 “Under its malign influence, 77 con¬ 
tinued my friend, u the nicer shades of personal honor 
first disappear; then follows morality, the substance of all 
things; and, finally, the spirit of humanity flies from the 
accursed land.” 

As the different corps of incendiaries proceeded through 
the country, Mosby’s men, with orders to take no prison¬ 
ers, hounded their tracks, watching for opportunities to 
attack them, as smaller bodies, inflamed by a spirit of 
rapine, would detach themselves. 

After the work of desolation had been accomplished, 
General Merritt’s army was camped at Snickersville. The 


379 


General Merritt devastating the Valley. 

residence of Dr. Lacy stood on tlie outer edge of tlie en¬ 
campment. A small party of Yankees had approached it 
with an insolent demand for food. In order to rid him¬ 
self of their insults and importunities, he advised them to 
return to their camps, saying Mosby’s men might at any 
moment dart upon them and bear them off to the woods. 
The soldiers, deeming themselves safe, laughed at this 
cautionary advice, yet, as if a little persuaded by it, they 
moved to go away, when John Orrick, accompanied by 

H-, dashed up, and, as an eagle would bear away a 

kid to his cliff, hurried them off to a neighboring forest. 

The day before the expedition recrossed the Blue Ridge 
many prisoners were brought before Captain Barnes, the 
provost-marshal, at Snickersville. With one exception, 
they all denied having any connection with Mosby. This 
man was Newton Jackson. As he was carried before 
the seat of military justice, it was whispered among the 
prisoners that he was one of Mosby’s men. But Mr. Bur- 
well, of Clarke County, replied, 

“ No, he is too badly dressed, and is too much of a 
rough, to belong to the Partisan Battalion.” 

When Jackson was questioned on that point, he bold¬ 
ly acknowledged that he belonged to Mosby; but when 
charged, with having on previous occasions traded to 
Alexandria under Federal passports, he roughly denied 
it. He was threatened with hanging, but in a spirit of 
haughty defiance the prisoner told Cajffain Barnes that 
he dared not execute his threat, for Mosby was provided 
with the means of retaliation. As Jackson passed out 
under guard to be confined with the other captives, Mr. 
Burwell remarked, 

“ I was mistaken. That is one of Mosby’s men.” 

Among the immense congregation of four-footed ani¬ 
mals at Snickersville was a noted thorough-bred bull, 
which had belonged to Captain Robert Carter, of Number 



380 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Six. It was in tlie nature of a compensation to the in¬ 
habitants of that vicinity for their many calamities that 
the Yankees carried off that animal, for he had for many 
years been a notorious trespasser on every corn-field and 
garden within reach. As the drove would pass a cot¬ 
tage-door, an old woman would put her head out of the 
window and exclaim, “ Thank God, the Yankees have got 
Carter’s bull.” In truth, so confirmed a nuisance had he 
become, that the people had determined to take the thing 
in hand, and make Mr. Bull a candidate for the Legisla¬ 
ture; for the people of Upper Fauquier have a merry 
custom, I hear, of sending a man to the Legislature as 
soon as he becomes a little seedy and an unprofitable 
member of society. As the animal was driven past Mr. 
Burwell, he remarked to Captain Carter that it was a 
pity that so valuable a bull should be lost to the neigh¬ 
borhood. 

“ Never fear,” replied Carter; “ that bull will go home 
to-night, and carry with him all the cattle from that part 
of the country.” 

And so it happened. About two o’clock in the morn¬ 
ing the camp was alarmed by the cry of “ Mosby.” An 
astounding uproar followed, producing a general stam¬ 
pede in the herd. The next morning Captain Barnes in¬ 
stituted an inquiry for that “ impudent guerrilla,” Jack- 
son. When Burwell was called upon, he testified that 
when he saw Jackson last he was mounted on Carter’s 
white bull making his way to Number Six. 


Bush Underwood and his Adventures . 


381 


CHAPTER XLVIII. 

BUSH UNDERWOOD AND HIS ADVENTURES.-MOSBY AGAIN 

WOUNDED. 

Upper Fauquier, December 27th, 1864. 

Dear Percy,— About tlie 1st of December Colonel 
Mosby left us to visit Richmond, to propose a reorgani¬ 
zation of his battalion. Soon after his departure, Caj> 
tain Win. Chapman determined to attack a scouting-party 
of the enemy, about one hundred in number, who, from 
their camp at Winchester, daily visited Berry’s Ferry. 
Sometimes the scout would approach the ferry from the 
direction of White Post, and, marching down the river- 
bank, would return to Winchester through Millwood, but 
at other times would approach through Millwood and re¬ 
turn by White Post. Chapman’s plan was to strike the 
party front and rear, and, in order to be prepared for their 
approach from either direction, posted Captain Richards, 
with half the command, at the base of a wooded bluff on 
the road side between Berry’s Ferry and Millwood, while 
with the other half he concealed himself on the road 
which leads from White Post to the ferry. Each party 
then put out vedettes to report the route taken by the 
enemy. The two portions of the command were thus 
held like hounds straining in the leash until the quarry 
should come within striking distance. 

About eleven o’clock Robert Walker, who had been 
posted near Millwood, announced the approach of the 
Federals, who proved to be a detachment of the 14tli 
Pennsylvania, commanded by Captain Myers. He had 
been informed on the way that Mosby’s men were lying 
in wait for him, but had discredited the information till 


382 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

* 

it was repeated by one of Burwell’s negroes at a point 
not far above Bichards’s ambuscade. By way of precau¬ 
tion, lie then sent forward, or rather accompanied, an ad¬ 
vance-guard of twenty men, with flankers thrown out. 
In this order the march proceeded down the turnpike 
until the advance-guard and flankers had passed the am¬ 
buscade. Mistaking them for the main column, Bichards 
burst upon them. But he soon discovered his mistake, 
and turned his men toward the main body of the enemy. 
But it had already been fiercely attacked by Bussell, 
Taliafero, M^alker, and several others. Before the vigor 
of Bichards’s onset the Yankees soon began to give way, 
and fled toward Millwood, leaving their killed and wound¬ 
ed strewn along the road. 

About six of the Bangers had pursued the enemy a 
mile beyond Millwood. As they returned, fatigued and 
encumbered with prisoners and horses, they were sud¬ 
denly met by twenty Yankees, who had been passed by 
in the pursuit, but had not been disarmed. These men, 
with arms in their hands, felt little inclined to submit 
without another struggle to the weary fate of captives. 
So they rallied, formed their ranks, and, sword in hand, 
broke through all obstacles to their retreat. 

Captain Myers, as I have told you, had accompanied 
his advance-guard, and, when Bichards cut them off, en¬ 
deavored to regain his column by making a circuit through 
the pasture-land that borders the south side of the turn¬ 
pike. He was followed by Puryear and Jim Wiltshire, 
who were attracted by his fine charger and officer’s uni¬ 
form, and, after a gallant defense, was killed. 

During the pursuit, Bob Walker had a hand-to-hand 
fight with a Federal soldier, the latter using his sabre, 
the other clubbing his carbine. Both combatants were 
severely bruised and cut, but Walker, who is very strong 
and active, as well as very brave, succeeded in disarming 
and capturing his opponent. 


Bush Underwood and his Adventures. 383 

4 

Richards sustained no loss in this fight, but the loss 
of the enemy was considerable—twenty-six killed and 
wounded, fifty-four taken prisoners, and eighty horses. 

About this time Sergeant Charley Hall, from Freder¬ 
icksburg, performed an exploit which I record as illustra¬ 
tive of the adventurous spirit which prevails in our 
battalion. A cavalry force was encamped within three 
hundred yards of a picket of three men. One of them 
was absent, plundering a neighboring garden, when Hall 
surprised his two comrades and bore them off, together 
with the horses and equipments belonging to the three. 
This is only one of Hall’s many daring exploits. 

During the month of November, while the battalion 
was operating in the Valley, Colonel Mosby sent Bush 
Underwood, with a few men, on detached service to Fair¬ 
fax. He was so successful during this period that he was 
allowed, during Mosby’s absence in Bichmond, to remain 
on the same field of activity. I will give you a brief 
sketch of Underwood, as he is ranked among the heroes 
of the battalion. He is now about twenty years of age, 
and was born in Maryland, but, since early childhood, 
has resided in Fairfax County. In the beginning of the 
war he entered the service in an artillery company which 
went from Loudoun, and participated in the two battles 
at Manassas, the Seven Days’ Fight around Bichmond, 
and other engagements of less magnitude. But the artil¬ 
lery service did not suit Underwood’s enterprising tem¬ 
per, and, without the ceremony of a transfer, he betook 
himself to White’s battalion of cavalry, which he in turn 
left to join Mosby, as early as April, 1863. At last in a 
congenial element, he soon drew upon him the attention 
of all by a display of some of the best qualities of a sol¬ 
dier. Quiet and unobtrusive in deportment, he was ever 
prompt and faithful in the discharge of duty. In action 
he is cool, resolute, and always among the foremost to 


384 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

strike tlie enemy. He lias a latent energy and fire in liis 
nature which, qualify him, almost beyond any other man, 
for the wild career he has chosen. As soon as Under¬ 
wood had displayed these high qualities, a regular transfer 
was procured for him to the Partisan command, for Bush 
was then too much of a free trapper for Mosby’s taste. 

One of his first adventures on detached service occur¬ 
red while General Meade was marching through Lou¬ 
doun. With two men—his brother, Sam Underwood, 
and Dave Hixson—he proceeded to Benton’s Ford, on 
Goose Creek, where he saw three horsemen enter the wa¬ 
ter from the opposite bank. They proved to be a lieu¬ 
tenant colonel and a major, attended by an orderly, who 
had come to ascertain whether that was an eligible point 
at which Goose Creek could be crossed. Mistaking the 
Bangers for citizens, they advanced without hesitation or 
suspicion. Followed by his comrades, Bush pushed for¬ 
ward to meet the officers, and within ten steps of them 
leveled his pistol and ordered a surrender. The surprise 
was complete, the emergency pressing, and the surrender 
prompt. Bush took charge of the major, whom, from the 
splendor of his uniform, he supposed to be certainly a 
general, the lieutenant colonel fell to Sam’s lot, and Dave 
Hixson had to put up with the orderly. When his arms 
were demanded, the lieutenant colonel was disposed to 
stand upon a point of etiquette. He said it was unbe¬ 
coming in an officer to surrender to a private; but Bush 
relieved his scruples by informing him that in his com¬ 
mand all were officers. He next, evidently to produce 
delay, objected to giving up his sword, which he said was 
as much a badge of his rank as his shoulder-straps; but 
Bush knew little of military etiquette, so he cocked his 
revolver, and threatened, if he hesitated for another mo¬ 
ment, to shoot him through the head. The prisoners 
were then conducted to a neighboring wood, where the 




Bush Underwood and his Adventures . 385 

rest of Underwood’s command had been left, and the 
horses and equipments were sold to the highest bidder. 

On another occasion,while he was operating with a com¬ 
mand of twenty men, a vedette reported the approach of 
an ambulance and two wagons, with an escort of twenty- 
five cavalry. Underwood directed Newcombe to take a 
portion of the command and strike the rear of the escort, 
while he, with the rest of it, would charge in front; but 
by some mistake, all but two of the men went off with 
Newcombe. With these two, nothing daunted, Bush 
Underwood made the attack, and, contrary to every rea¬ 
sonable expectation, drove the escort before him. 

During the fight, Colonel Switzer, with a captain, es¬ 
caped from the ambulance into the pines, but left behind 
for a ransom trunks which contained a considerable sum 
of money, and, what a soldier would be least likely to 
leave, the colonel’s sabre. It was, however, time for the 
officers to leave, for Bush is a rude soldier, and not a re¬ 
specter of persons. 

With three hundred cavalry the Federals pursued Un¬ 
derwood to Mount Zion Church, but to no purpose, for 
the guerrillas were “over the hills and far away,” as 
Charles Augustus would say. This is only one of the 
many attacks which Underwood has made on the Feder¬ 
als in Fairfax. He has become so obnoxious to them 
that they devised the following expedient for his de¬ 
struction. A blockade runner had agreed to deliver to 
Underwood, at a house near the Potomac, a parcel of 
merchandise. In company with Trammell, he went to 
the rendezvous. Soon after their arrival, a lady reported 
that a party of mounted soldiers were rapidly approach¬ 
ing the house, and before the two Bangers could mount 
their horses, the \ ankees, for such they proved to be, 
had entered the yard, and with their revolvers had begun 
the assault. There was a body of wood, cut off from the 

B B 


386 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

yard by a fence, for which the Bangers made, closely pur¬ 
sued. But Underwood and Trammell were bold riders, 
and, setting spurs to their horses, cleared the obstacle at 
a flying leap. “They didn’t catch us that time,” said 
Underwood, as they drew up their horses. But a quick 
succession of shots informed them that the race was not 
yet over, nor the goal of safety won. Still they were 
hotly pursued, and headed off on every side until they 
were driven to Broad Bun, at a point where the bank 
was abrupt, and more than ten feet from the water’s sur¬ 
face. It was a hazardous leap, but Underwood and 
Trammell did not hesitate. When their pursuers reached 
the stream they durst not follow, but contented them¬ 
selves with firing a volley at the Bangers as they disap¬ 
peared from sight. 

It is my painful duty to record a third wounding of 
our chieftain, and to relate the circumstances which at¬ 
tended it. 

Colonel Gamble, of the 8th Illinois, commanded a bri¬ 
gade of cavalry, with his headquarters at Fairfax Court¬ 
house. On the 17th of December he sent a raiding-party, 
comprising detachments of the 13th and 16th New York 
and 8th Illinois Cavalry, under command of Lieutenant 
Colonel Clendennin, in search of Mosby. On arriving at 
Aldie the command separated, and, pursuing different 
routes, united at Salem. One of these parties visited 
Kinloch, the residence of Mr. Edward Turner, where they 
found Lieutenant Grogan and another member of the 
battalion. Although the house was surrounded, yet, 
with that deliberate valor which ever characterizes him, 
Grogan determined to fight his way to his horse, which 
was tied not far off, preferring to take the chances of 
death rather than the certainty of confinement in the 
dreary prison at Johnson’s Island, from which, under cir¬ 
cumstances of so much hazard, he had once effected his 


-Bush Underwood and his Adventures . 387 

escape. But liis fortune was not equal to liis valor. He 
was so severely wounded in the leg that the Federal sur¬ 
geon pronounced him disabled from farther military serv¬ 
ice, and he was, in consequence, left with his kind friends 
at Kinloch. 

The Federals then marched-to Salem, from which they 
drove a few of Mosby’s men, and then, filing to the right, 
moved toward Kectortown. When within a mile of this 
town the flankers encountered two horsemen, who seemed 
intent on observing closely the moving column. One of 
them was consjDicuous from the scarlet lining of his over¬ 
coat, as well as for the reckless exposure of his person. 
This man was identified as Mosby, and, as he dashed rap¬ 
idly along the flank toward the front of the column, he 
was pursued by a private of the 16th New York, noted 
for his unusual courage. As the two passed through Rec- 
tortown, “Scarlet Cloak,” as he was called by the Yan¬ 
kees, turned in his saddle, and by a shot from his re-, 
volver killed his pursuer’s horse. At Rectortown the 
Federals halted, built fires, and the men prepared their 
suppers as if to camp for the night. 

Mosby, in the mean time, accompanied by Tommy Love, 
one of his most favored and devoted followers, after re- 
connnoitring the camp, proceeded to the house of Lud- 
well Lake, who lives within a mile of Rector’s Cross-roads. 

Instead of remaining in camp for the night, the raiders 
were soon in the saddle again, with the purpose of pro¬ 
ceeding to Upperville; but, from the ignorance of the 
guide, took the road leading to Rector’s Cross-roads. As 
they passed the house of Mr. Lake they discovered two 
horses, with cavalry equipments, fastened to his gate. 
Captain Taylor’s company of the 13th New York sur¬ 
rounded the house, and through one of the windows Cor¬ 
poral Kane discharged his carbine at a man within. This 
was Mosby. The ball struck him in the abdomen, but 


388 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

fortunately, without penetrating, ranged around and came 
out just above and back of the hip. The lights were ex¬ 
tinguished as the enemy rushed into the house; but, with 
a self-possession which never deserts him, Mosby determ¬ 
ined to affect the dying man, and by that stratagem to 
baffle his enemies. Throwing his coat which denoted his 
rank under the bed, his first act in this tragic perform¬ 
ance was to besmear his lips with blood from his wound, 
to give the appearance of internal hemorrhage, and then 
to stretch himself on a couch as if exhausted. One of 
the men proposed to finish the rebel; but the Federal offi¬ 
cers gathered around him, and Captain Taylor and Major 
Frazer, after examining the wound, pronounced it to be 
mortal. They then inquired his name, his rank, his regi¬ 
ment. The wounded man, gasping, replied, Lieutenant 
Johnson, of the 6th Virginia Cavalry. A negro belonging 
to Mr. Lake was then introduced, and, failing to recognize 
Mosby, pronounced him to be a stranger in the neigh¬ 
borhood. This testimony removed all doubt, and the 
column proceeded in their search for the “ guerrilla chief.” 

As soon as Mosby discovered from the conversation of 
the family assembled in an adjoining room that the Fed- 
erals had taken their departure, he arose and appeared 
among them, creating almost as much astonishment as if 
they had seen one risen from the dead. He immediately 
ordered preparations to be made for his removal to the 
house of Mr. Aquila Glasscock, not far off; for he surmised 
that the enemy, detecting in some way the imposition 
which had been practiced upon them, would send back a 
detachment for his recapture. Nor was this precaution 
ill-timed, for, upon leaving, the raiders had divested the 
wounded man of his boots, and carried with them his 
cloak. These they examined upon the march, and find¬ 
ing the cloak, which was of rich gray cloth trimmed with 
English scarlet and gold clasps, to correspond with the 


.Bush Underwood and his Adventures . 389 

% 

one whicli they had often heard described by the citizens 
of the Valley as worn by Mosby, and the boots to agree 
exactly in make and maker’s name with a pair taken 
from his headquarters when burned last summer, they 
concluded that they had let the object of their search slip 
through their fingers, and at once dispatched a squadron 
to repair the error. 

Mosby in the mean time had been conveyed away by 
the only means of transportation at hand—a cart drawn 
by two half-broken oxen, and driven by a negro, who, al¬ 
though he faithfully performed this duty, a few days later- 
deserted to the enemy. From Glasscock’s a courier was 
sent to the residence of a citizen near Piedmont, where 
Jake Lavender, of the command, was that night to be 
married, and where a large number of the men were like¬ 
ly to be assembled. As soon as the tidings were re¬ 
ceived the marriage was postponed, the party broken up, 
and the Rangers hastened to the couch of their wounded 
chief. Without delay, Captain Richards dispatched run¬ 
ners to collect a force which might prove sufficient to 
protect Mosby from a pursuing enemy, and the next day 
Captain William Chapman appeared and took command. 
His first act was to send Tom Richards with a party to 
ascertain the whereabouts of the raiders, who soon re¬ 
ported that they had passed through Aldie on their home¬ 
ward march. Mosby remained at Glasscock’s for several 
days, suffering great pain, and attended by Doctors Dunn 
and Eliason, both of the command, during which time his 
men from every direction thronged in to see him. Among 
them was West Aldridge, who reported that with two 
comrades, Roger and Bobby Chew, he had fallen in with 
a party of the Loudoun Rangers near Waterford, and 
had killed one and captured three of them. Chew had 
been wounded, which Mosby the more regretted as he is 
one of the most daring soldiers in the battalion. 



390 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

* 

A division of Federal cavalry, commanded by General 
Torbert, liad made an attempt to capture Gordonsville, 
but bad been driven off by General Lomax’s command. 
At Warrenton they divided and went back to tbe Val¬ 
ley, through different crossings of the Blue Ridge. One 
of these fractions on them homeward route camped with¬ 
in a mile or two of Glen Welby, whither Mosby had been 
removed. As soon as the presence of the Federals in the 
neighborhood was ascertained, he was conveyed by a cir¬ 
cuitous route to Culpepper Court-house, and from thence 
to Amherst County. About the time- of his removal 
from Glen Welby, the Federals had been told that he 
was at Salem, and started in pursuit of him. At one 
time the Rangers who had him in charge were so hard 
pressed by the enemy that Mosby told them they would 
be compelled to scatter. They inquired, “ What shall we 
do with you 2” He answered, “ Bury me.” 


CHAPTER XLIX. 
mosby’s mode of waefaee. 

January 10th, 1865. 

Deae Peecy, — As early as the middle of October, 
Colonel Mosby determined to winter a portion of the 
battalion in the Xorthern Xeck of Virginia, not beino’ 
able to keep the command together in its usual field of 
operations on account of the destruction which had been 
wrought by the incendiaries of General Merritt. Ac¬ 
cordingly, about the 1st of January, Lieutenant Colonel 
Chapman departed for that district of countiy, taking 
with him Companies “ C,E,F, and G,” the latter of which 
was organized at Salem preliminary to his departure. 
For this new company the following officers had been 



391 


Moshfs Mode of Warfare . 

indicated by Mosby: T. W. T. Richards, Captain ; John 
Murphy, First Lieutenant; Garland Smith, Second Lieu¬ 
tenant ; and William Puryear, Junior Second Lieutenant. 

At the time of secession, Captain Richards was a stu¬ 
dent at Columbia College, in Washington City; he prompt¬ 
ly returned to Virginia, and enlisted in the Eighth Vir¬ 
ginia Infantry, commanded by Colonel, now General Eppa 
Hunton. After twelve months’ service with this regi¬ 
ment, during which he participated in all the battles in 
which it was engaged, he left the infantry service and 
attached himself conditionally to the Seventh Virginia 
Cavalry, with which he remained till Colonel Jones was 
promoted to the command of a brigade. Richards was 
then authorized by him to recruit a company to operate 
within the enemy’s lines, and with this view returned to 
Loudoun County, where he was attracted to Mosby, of 
whom he had heard Colonel Jones sj:>eak in very high 
terms. Not being bound by any military engagement 
to the regular service, he seized this opportunity to enter 
Partisan life, and joined Mosby with twelve recruits. He 
served with the command till the fight at Warrenton 
Junction, where, in an attempt to create a diversion 
among the enemy, he was severely wounded three times, 
and did not regain his liberty until after an imprison¬ 
ment of twelve months. This accounts for his having 
been so lately made an officer in the battalion; for, as 
showing the estimation in which he is held by his com¬ 
mander, I will mention that when General Lee requested 
a suitable officer to be recommended to organize a com¬ 
mand to protect the citizens in the Northern Neck, and 
the counties south of the Rappahannock, from the incur¬ 
sions of raiding parties of the enemy, Mosby nominated 
Richards. He went on the mission, but soon returned, 
and reported that it was impracticable. 

Murphy entered the service in the Ninth Virginia Cav- 


392 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

airy, in which he was subsequently promoted to a cap¬ 
taincy. He had recently joined the command, and was 
nominated to the lieutenancy by Mosby at the solicita¬ 
tions of Major and Captain Richards. 

Garland Smith had been with the battalion for a con¬ 
siderable period, and had proved himself a brave and en¬ 
ergetic soldier. Previous to his connection with the com¬ 
mand he had been a lieutenant of infantry, and had been 
honorably discharged in consequence of a painful wound. 

Puryear had also served in the regular army before 
his connection with Mosby, and had earned his promo¬ 
tion by the display of unquestionable gallantry on all 
occasions. 

This interval of comparative repose I am spending at 
my abode on the Blue Ridge Mountain, enjoying the so¬ 
ciety of congenial friends, and, in compliance with a prom¬ 
ise, will give you an interior view of our organization, 
and also an account of Mosby’s military policy and civil 
administration. 

As early as September, 1863, Mosby concluded a re¬ 
port to General Stuart by reminding him that “ the mili¬ 
tary value of the species of warfare I am waging is not 
to be measured by the number of prisoners and mate¬ 
rial of war captured from the enemy, but by the heavy 
details it compels him to make in order to guard his com¬ 
munications, and to that extent diminish his aggressive 
strength.” The system which he has devised for carry¬ 
ing into execution the policy which he has thus concisely 
stated involves the consideration and explanaton of the 
manner in which his command is organized, or, in other 
words, the principle of the Partisan Ranger law, and his 
mode of quartering, and subsisting, and disciplining his 
troops, and also his mode of conducting hostilities. 

The principle which distinguishes the Partisan Ranger 
service is the distribution among the officers and men of 


393 


Moshfs Mode of Warfare . 

i 

tlie spoil captured from the enemy, and, though Mosby 
refuses to avail himself of it for his own enrichment, he 
yet values it as a powerful magnet to attract and bind 
adventurous spirits to his standard. The dreaming states¬ 
man may indulge the reverie that in republics the patri¬ 
otic principle is sufficient to impel men to the discharge 
of military duty, but the practical and clear-sighted ge¬ 
nius of Mosby knows that mankind are governed by the 
grosser motive of immediate self-interest, and, impressed 
with this belief, he made the strenuous efforts of which I 
have told you to construct his command on this basis. 

As an advantageous theatre of operations, he selected 
Upper Fauquier and Loudoun, a district of great agri¬ 
cultural fertility and salubrity of climate, having pasture- 
lands which, during nine months of the year, resemble in 
verdancy an oasis, while they are peopled by an offshoot 
of the Saxon stem—a brave, generous, hospitable people, 
and devoted to the cause of Southern independence. 
From this as a central point he has struck the enemy in 
Fairfax, on the line of the Potomac, in the Valley, and on 
the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. With the effi¬ 
ciency of his mode of warfare, as original as daring in its 
plan of execution, you have already been made acquaint¬ 
ed, as well as with the vigorous and sometimes sanguin¬ 
ary and despotic means to which Federal commanders 
have resorted in order to counteract and suppress it. 
This system of warfare, defensive in its object, yet aggress¬ 
ive in its principle, has baffled all these attempts, be¬ 
cause, as soon as the blow is inflicted, the assailants are 
at once scattered, before time is afforded to strike them 
in return. The angry cloud gathers, the thunders roll 
through the sky, the fatal flash is emitted, and the dis¬ 
charged vapors disperse into thin air. Mosby was fol¬ 
lowed by Wyndham, by Stahl, and by many others, eager 
to inflict vengeance upon their tormenting adversary, but 


394 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

the band had been broken, and the men composing the 
command were dispersed over the large area they inhab¬ 
ited, to be collected, perhaps on the morrow, again to 
strike Achilles in the heel. 

The citizens sometimes murmur that Mosby, who is 
ever in an aggressive attitude, so seldom fights the ene¬ 
my at home; but they do not consider that by doing so 
he would abandon the object which brought him among 
them and insure his own destruction, for nothing would 
gratify the Federal generals more than for him to fight 
pitched battles with their overwhelming odds. 

Robin Hood concealed his men in the solitudes of 
Sherwood Forest; Marion took refuge in the inaccessible 
swamps of Carolina, which on every river and lagoon 
offered an asylum; but Mosby, in an open country, finds 
security in dispersion among a friendly and chivalrous 
people. With them the members of the battalion live 
as boarders and friends, the farmers for a moderate com¬ 
pensation, and sometimes without compensation at all, 
providing food and shelter for the soldier and his horse. 
But in some instances, in order to insure greater security, 
the men have built themselves huts in the mountains. 
This familiar association between the soldiers and the 
citizens has developed a very peculiar and romantic state 
of society, and its elevating effects upon the former are 
very marked. It has imparted to their deportment and 
appearance refinement and dignity, with a tincture of 
knightly courtesy, and, as in a former age, woman again 
awards the prize to valor. Thus woman, the spectator 
and sometimes the actor in the fierce drama, is a golden 
thread woven into the battalion for beauty and ornament, 
but yielding it strength also. 

Distributed through the community, the men select 
their own boarding-houses, restricted only to certain lim¬ 
its, which contain now an area of twenty miles square. 


395 


Mo shy's Mode of Warfare. 

Instead of the discipline of the camp, they are restrained 
by the discipline of society; but if that prove too feeble 
a means of government, a military authority is near at 
hand, prompt to interpose and swift to strike. The offi¬ 
cers of the battalion are likewise scattered, in proper pro¬ 
portions, among the men, and are required to keep a strict 
supervision over them. The rule of discipline is compre¬ 
hensive and concise: the men must promptly attend the 
rendezvous, and conduct themselves as soldiers on duty 
and as gentlemen off duty. Violations of this rule are 
at once reported to Mosby, who is ever ready to hear 
complaints, sometimes by officers, sometimes by soldiers, 
sometimes by citizens, and, as supreme arbiter, are dealt 
with by him. If an officer or man is found by this des¬ 
potic tribunal to be deficient in courage or obedience, or 
not to be an orderly member of this military community, 
one of two punishments is inflicted; he is reprimanded 
for the first offense, or he is pronounced unfit for Partisan 
life and sent to the regular army—regarded, as I have 
told you before, in the light of a Botany Bay. One of 
the bravest men in Company “B” was recently sent off 
for breaking into a Quaker’s milk-house, notwithstanding 
the earnest intercession of his captain. 

It must sometimes happen that, even with the strictest 
vigilance, unworthy men will insinuate themselves into 
the battalion, but, as soon as discovered, the diseased 
limb is amputated. To aid in this work, company inspec¬ 
tions have been instituted, and on one occasion an infec¬ 
tion of the battalion was made, at which more than fifty 
names were struck from the rolls. 

From their boarding-houses the men collect at various 
places of rendezvous, which are always selected with 
reference to the vicinity of a blacksmith’s shop. From 
these points issue daily detachments, varying in strength, 
commanded generally by officers, but sometimes by pri- 



396 


Partisan Life icith Mosby. 

vates who enjoy the confidence of their commander. 
Thus, in one day, we find portions of Mosby’s command 
operating at Accotink, in the Valley, on the Baltimore 
and Ohio Railroad, at Poolesville, and several other points, 
or scouting in Baltimore, Washington, and in the camps 
of the enemy. Sometimes a few of his followers are shot 
or captured, but for every one lost to him the enemy’s 
loss is tenfold. Brave, but never rash, ever vigilant, but 
never incautious, Mosby soon signalized himself as a lead¬ 
er, but it was not until he obtained a large and stable com¬ 
mand, and was able to avail himself of the agency of sub¬ 
ordinates, that his unrivaled genius for Partisan warfare 
shone forth. If his command had been proportioned to 
the emergency, and to his capacity to employ it, I have 
thought that when Meade marched through Loudoun and 
Fauquier with vulnerable rear and flanks, with Lee in his 
front, the march of his army might have been stayed, or 
even thrown back beyond the Potomac; and it is past a 
doubt that, had such a command as I speak of been un¬ 
der Mosby’s control, General Sheridan’s long line of com¬ 
munications in the Valley might have been broken up. 

Mosby knows every man in the battalion, his appear¬ 
ance, his name, his general character, where he boards, 
and to what company, he belongs. It is an object with 
him to gain this information, for by it he has been ena¬ 
bled to surround himself wdth efficient officers, and select 
leaders for the small bands which he casts like a quiver 
of arrows among the enemy. It is this faculty of dis¬ 
cernment which has given him the hundred arms of 
Briareus. He has another quality which comes in aid 
of this — his inaccessibility to flattery, and consequent 
exemption from its blinding and disturbing effects. He 
has, of course, his friendships and personal partialities, 
but it is astonishing to see how destitute they are of 
all influence over his public conduct. These favorites 


397 


Mo shy's Mode of Warfare. 

eat with him, scout with him, sleep with him, and follow 
him in the headlong charge. But there is not an instance 
in which one of them has been promoted to command. 
His promotions are always from another class. If a man 
is honorable, brave, and capable, he looks no farther, for 
he regards power simply as a trust, and would as soon 
convert to his own use the public money as the public 
patronage. You ask if it is by love that he controls his 
men ? No; he is not weak enough to be cheated by that 
fallacy. Love, he knows, is an inconstant charmer, whose 
power, from the nature of things, can not be made to per¬ 
vade and control large masses of men. Fear and Confi¬ 
dence are the genii he invokes, and, united to a convic¬ 
tion of his incorruptible integrity, they have enabled him 
to enchain followers to his standard. 

As the battalion grew in strength, and his sphere of 
action was extended, the difficulty of disciplining and 
controlling it increased, and Mosby proposed, in conse¬ 
quence, to divide it into two battalions, each to be com¬ 
manded by a major, while he retained the rank of lieuten¬ 
ant colonel, who should be responsible for the discipline 
and efficiency of his corps, while the emulation which 
would necessarily spring up between the two divisions of 
the command—the officers being of equal rank—would 
not be without its advantage to the public service. In 
order to obtain the sanction of law for this plan of re¬ 
organization, early in December, 1864, he visited Kich- 
mond. But upon developing his scheme to General Lee, 
he found him opposed to it, and to favor instead the reg¬ 
imental organization. Besides, the Secretary of War was 
of opinion that no authority for such a division of the 
command was given by any existing law, and that a spe¬ 
cial act of Congress would have to be obtained. He there¬ 
fore suggested as a substitute, which was accepted by Mos¬ 
by, to give him a lieutenant colonel and a major, between 



398 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

whom the command could practically be divided, although 
the divisions could not be recognized by the department. 
After an absence of ten days, Mosby returned to Fauquier 
with authority to increase his battalion to a regiment, 
and bringing with him a colonel’s commission for him¬ 
self, a lieutenant colonel’s for Chajuuan, and a major’s 
commission for Richards. 

But it is now time to speak of his civil administration. 
The civil structure in the district over which his power 
extends had been totally subverted, and there was no 
law to maintain the recognized rights of property, or to 
protect the weak from the aggressions of the strong. 
Finding himself in the possession of power, he regards it 
as a trust to be exercised for the benefit of those over 
whom his military jurisdiction extends. To him, as the 
recognized depository of authority, all men repair, prefer¬ 
ring complaints, representations, and applications. The 
ordinary place for the transaction of such business is at 
a rendezvous for the command, while the men are assem¬ 
bling. But this is not always the case, for he often gives 
audiences and makes decisions at other places and at 
other times. Thus Mosby has reigned in the Upper 
Piedmont for nearly two years undisputed dictator; and 
the evidence of Mr. Edward Marshall, of Markham, one 
of the most prominent and respectable citizens of Fau¬ 
quier, is but a merited testimonial to the enlightened use 
which he makes of his great authority. 

Says Mr. Marshall, “ Mosby has for nearly two years 
been king of Fauquier, and I have never known the 
county so well governed.” His education and experience 
as a lawyer come greatly to his aid in fulfilling these civil 
duties. The following incident will illustrate, I think, 
the vigor of his administration. Horse-stealing and 
cattle-lifting had become a prevalent nuisance in Fau¬ 
quier and Loudoun, and, unless restrained, would, beyond 


“ Gog in the Land of Magog.” 


399 


doubt, have been followed by other and more violent 
forms of lawlessness. But Mosby is just the man to deal 
with a distemper like that. He published an order au¬ 
thorizing and commanding horse-thieves and cattle-lifters 
to be shot wherever caught. It was not long before the 
rude administrators of this military code were called 
upon to act, and the only investigation that ensued was 
as to the guilt of the man who had been killed. 

Lying outside of the army lines, it is only natural that 
this district of country should be infested by deserters, 
blockade-runners, and other disreputable characters, as 
well as by horse-thieves and cattle-lifters. To meet this 
evil, he has authorized the arrest of all soldiers not hav¬ 
ing regular leaves of absence, and awards their horses as 
prizes to their captors, while strangers are required to 
exhibit evidence of the lawfulness of their business. It 
is by the employment of vigorous and enlightened meas¬ 
ures such as these, as well as by the brilliancy and suc¬ 
cess of his military exploits, that Mosby has won, and 
will ever maintain, a deep hold on the confidence and af¬ 
fection of the people of Northern Virginia. 


CHAPTER L. 

“ GOG IX THE LAXD OF MAGOG.” 

My dear Percy, —I have another exploit of our friend 
the chaplain’s to relate to you to-day, and, if I am not 
mistaken, it will excite in your breast feelings of compas¬ 
sion for the holy man. That you may have no fear of ex¬ 
aggeration in any of its circumstances, I will tell you be¬ 
forehand that I have gotten all the facts from that oracle 

of truth, Mr. Blackwell Magog! 

The chaplain was on a visit to “ Heartland,” the classic- 
abode of his relative, Mr. Blackwell Magog. The weath ei 



400 


Partisan Life ivitli Mosby. 

was cold, for it was the inhospitable month of January, 
the season when Boreas delights to bluster over this 
northern temperate zone. 

Present, besides the host and his family, and a bevy of 
fair damsels, Dr. Grog, Jake Lavender, Johnny Edmunds, 
Johnny Munson, George Edmonds, Wyndham Lucas. The 
day before the one on which occurred the notable events 
about to be related was devoted to canonical games of 
cards. The result between the reverend man and his es¬ 
pecial antagonist, Munson, had been the loss by the lat¬ 
ter of a large bottle of blockade whisky, which had been 
promptly paid up, according to the rule which the parson 
invariably observed with those young guerrillas. 

He was opposed, he said, to debt, and would not, in 
consequence, trust one of them for a shilling. But his suc¬ 
cess had brought with it but little happiness, for he had 
to be as much on his guard as if he had been in a camp 
of gipsies. The young scamps, instigated and encouraged 
by the master of the house and Jake, who ought to have 
known better, had concocted many a plot to obtain pos¬ 
session of the vessel which contained the liquor, but, as 
the sequel will show, unhappily in vain. 

In some way, it was never certainly known how, though 
the chaplain always accused Sam Thomas, the reverend 
man had contracted that one of the eruptive diseases 
known to science as scabies , but in the vernacular as itch. 
Every one who is acquainted with this tormenting com¬ 
panion, and the mode in which it ought to be treated, 
knows that for its cure the application of unguents to the 
surface of the body is highly recommended. This is one 
of the particulars of the healing art in which science con¬ 
descends to agree with unlettered practice—one in which 
the learned disciples of iEsculapius concur with those 
kind, excellent physicians, the old women. 

But, in order to apply this highly popular remedy, it 



“ Gog in the Land of Magog” 


401 


was necessary for tlie doctor to disrobe bis person, or, as 
Hamlet, tbe Dane, would express it, “Unmask bis beauty 
to tbe moon.” By tbis process our cburcbman bad been 
reduced to wbat a philosopher might call a state of na- 
ture. While be was in tbis Adamic condition, as un¬ 
adorned in truth as our grandparents before tbe Fall, Mun¬ 
son and Johnny Edmunds rushed wildly into tbe apart¬ 
ment, which was situated on tbe second floor, crying out, 
“Tbe Yankees are coming, and are flanking round tbe 
bouse.” Out again they went, with terror in every line 
of their faces, and tbe great anointed beheld them through 
the window, scampering toward Goose Creek, which flows 
at the base of the eminence on which the house stands. 
A moment after the voice of his kinsman was heard below 
urging an immediate retreat; and soon, as if in confirma¬ 
tion of his advice, he himself was seen, with Jake and the 
others, to hurry off in the same direction. The doctor’s 
clothes had, by his own direction, been removed, to be sub¬ 
jected to a process of fumigation, nor had others been 
substituted. 

Here was a terrible dilemma. It would never do to be 
captured by the Yankees if the thing could be avoided, 
for they had sworn to hang the fat priest for plundering 
their supply-trains if ever they laid their hands on him 
—yes, to hang him with a grape-vine. After these threats 
had been communicated to him, and Munson had even 
seen them in a General Order issued from Winchester, as 
he had stated that morning at breakfast, Doctor Gog had 
often thought of hanging with a grape-vine, and the more 
he thought of it the less he liked it. He was very indig¬ 
nant, and so expressed himself. It would, he said, be a 
clear violation of the usages of civilized warfare, and 
ought not to be tolerated by the nations of Christendom; 
it was, moreover, the death of a dog, and carried with it 
race as well as punishment. But what was all this 

C c 




402 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

to the parson if the Vandals executed their threat? He 
would be dead, and nothing could compensate him for 
that calamity. After much reflection, he had come to the 
conclusion not to fall into their hands; indeed, this reso¬ 
lution might be said to have become with him a fixed 
principle of action. 

But what was to be done ? He had no time for coun¬ 
cils of war. The case was one which demanded immedi¬ 
ate action. What was to be done ? Great God! what 
was to be done ? Even now it might be too late. “ Bun, 
Doctor Gog, run!” some good angel whispered; “ run ! 
for a human life hangs on thy heels—run, run, run!” 
How could he resist these moving aj3peals ? for already he 
felt the felon vine tightening around his throat. Off he 
started, grasping at a blue counterpane as he passed by 



THE CHAPLAIN’S HASTY RETREAT. 


the bed. But it was an ample coverlet, and had been 
closely tucked. It would have taken him five minutes 















































































































































































































































“ Gog in the Land of Magog.” 


403 


to get that blue counterpane off the bed. Five minutes! 
he hadn’t as many seconds to lose. Out of the room he 
bolted; down the stairs he leaped, or rather tumbled, and 
rushed through the porch into the inclosed area which 
surrounds the house. How cold the air was! but it 
served only to brace Doctor Gog for more strenuous ex¬ 
ertions. Through the yard he sped like an apparition. 
The children screamed, the dogs barked, the geese uttered 
their dissonant cries, and rose up, expanding their great 
wings, as the doctor flew by them; one, a gander, and the 
patriarch of the poultry-yard, showed fight, and ran hiss¬ 
ing after the fugitive. The maid-servants hid their faces 
and turned away, they were so shocked at the unhand¬ 
some spectacle so suddenly presented to their eyes. But 
what cared the doctor for a country wench, or a score of 
them for that matter, when the Yankees were flanking 
round the house ? 

Children, dogs, maid-servants, ganders, all stand aside 
for the chaplain of Mosby’s Battalion as he bounds to¬ 
ward the garden. Behold him now, through intemperate 
haste, involved in a labyrinth of raspberry-bushes, with 
their long,prickly arms reaching out on every side; how 
they lacerate his soft, greasy skin! But a raspberry- 
bush, what is it to a grape-vine, if those terrible Yankees 
have hold of it? He does not stop to disengage their 
clasping arms, but rudely breaks away. His sides bleed 
like a spurred courser; but better that than worse, 
thought the parson, as he continued his retreat, or rather 
flight. But whether a retreat or flight, what matters it ? 
for the parson, never overscrupulous, has no time now to 
higgle over words. All he asks is a clear track. 

He has scrambled over the garden fence, and down the 
hill he goes, encountering in his passage the running bri¬ 
ers which, during the war, have spread over the land. 
How they tear his feet and ankles, and the flints how 


404 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

they cut his flesh! No matter, no matter; what are a 
few scratches when a man’s life is at stake! When he 
reached the bottom of the hill he came upon the rest of 
the fugitives, all dressed in their nice warm clothes and 
long cavalry boots, while he was as naked as a cherub! 
The Lord, how cold it was ! and nobody would lend him 
a thread—a thing not reasonably to be expected by a 
man afflicted with scabies. The others hid among water- 
sedges and alder-bushes, which grew on the hither side 
of the stream; but the parson, with that spectre grape¬ 
vine about his neck, determined to eftect a crossing of 
Goose Creek at all hazards. Nor did he wait for the ar¬ 
rival of his pontoon-train, but at once plunged in the 
stream, about waist deep, and, having gained its opposite 
bank, was soon lost in the undergrowth which offered its 
friendly shelter. 

The doctor was vividly impressed with the imminent 
perils from which he had just escaped, for had he not dis¬ 
tinctly heard the tramp of horses, mingled with the con¬ 
fused sound of human voices? So he laid down very 
close to a large log, or trunk of what had once been a 
stately tree, but which now lay prostrate among the 
weeds and grass like a fallen monarch, abandoned by 
those who, in the days of his prosperity, had gathered 
about him, and found shelter in its lordly boughs. But 
the poor fugitive was not too proud to ask protection 
from the oak in the days of its adversity; so he crept 
close to its side, and laid him down at full length, shiver¬ 
ing with cold. His teeth chattered, and that was the 
only noise he made, and that he could not help, poor 
man! It was so cold that January day! Soon a voice 
was wafted to his ear, which he thought syllabled his 
name, and the denuded churchman crouched closer than 
ever to the frozen earth and the rough bark of the tree. 
Between the ague of fear and the ague of cold he suffered 
pangs almost as keen as death. 



“ Gog in the Land of Magog? 


405 


There is an end, however, of human endurance, and the 
parson made up his mind to surrender. The Yankees 
might not, if he spoke them fair, be so hard on him, after 
all. It would be better, at all events, he reasoned, to 
take that chance, small as it might be, than to perish 
with cold. Under this impulse, he had risen to his 
hands and knees, when, for the first time, his eyes fell 
upon a wild grape, that sent forth in many a graceful 
fold its long, tough vines. Down he fell, for it looked 
like a fatality. The victim and the altar, by a mysteri¬ 
ous Providence, had been brought together, and the priest 
to offer him up was alone wanting, and he, alas! was not 
far off. “Oh! 11 groaned Dr. Grog, and he buried his face 
in his hands and tried to pray. 

The w T ork of repentance, though long delayed, is swift 
when it begins. Misdeed after misdeed rose up before 
the defaulting chaplain like banditti springing out from 
every brake. Each day produced its band of accusing 
memories—his broken vows, his profanity, his revels, his 
gaming, all, all stood before him with menacing brow— 
a dark array, that confronted the chaplain of Mosby’s 
Battalion, standing on the verge of eternity, a boundless 
sea shrouded with impenetrable cloud. Plundered quar¬ 
termasters and violated sutler-wagons were there, to 
haunt him with their confiscated stores. How horrible 
thus, “unhouseled and unannealed, 11 to be hurried out of 
life—life, which is so sweet to the voluptuary! 

He heard again his own name pronounced, and this 
time with a distinctness that left no room for doubt, no 
hope, for the Yankees were as familiar with his name as 

his own guerrillas. 

But, Yankee or no Yankee, grape-vine or no grape-vine, 
he could stand the cold no longer, for the state of qui¬ 
escence in which he had lain had generated a numbness 
which might be the precursor of that drowsiness which 



406 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

precedes death from freezing. As soon as this horrible 
thought occurred to him he sj)rang to his feet, but still 
cautiously went forth to reconnoitre, for the parson had 
at least this quality of a good soldier, great caution in 
the presence of the enemy. Unspeakable was his relief 
when he discovered that the voice proceeded from his 
own friends, who were calling him to join them, which 
with painful steps he proceeded to do. By this time the 
wind had risen, stirred by some demon, or had been re¬ 
leased from its barred prison for some uncharitable end. 
The forlorn divine suffered horribly on his exposed flanks, 
as the cutting blast with icy breath came whistling from 
the snow-clad Blue Bidge. 

Friends are the kind ministers of Fortune, and those 
of Dr. Gog, the most welcome of their class, now sum¬ 
moned him to surmount the cross-flowing stream and re¬ 
join them. But, benumbed with cold, how could he 
accomplish the task? It was a serious question that 
winter’s day which was presented for solution to a church 
dignitary divested of raiment. Had he been bred in the 
wilderness, and been a great sachem of an Indian tribe, 
he could have done it, and not have thought of it a mo¬ 
ment after. But the chaplain was not a North American 
savage, but was a child of civilization, and had been nur¬ 
tured in luxury. 

There was no passway—not even the slender footing 
of a rail thrown across some narrow belt of the creek. 
No, there was no help for it; so he plunged in the waters, 
over which a film of ice had formed. Though an excel¬ 
lent divine, and instructed in all the lore of the Church, 
Dr. Gog was not an accomplished engineer, for he select¬ 
ed for the crossing of the stream a place where the waters 
were both broad and deep. A concealed snag caught 
his foot when he was about midway, and souse he went 
under. Having expelled the water from his ears and 


u Gog in the Land of Magog” 


407 


nose, he heard a loud laugh. He gnashed his teeth with 
rage, for Munson, he knew, with a hundred glosses and 
exaggerations, would tell the thing over the whole coun¬ 
try. 

It was, then, in no amiable mood that the chaplain 
emerged from Goose Creek, sinking knee-deep as he ap¬ 
proached the oozy bank. The moisture which had begun 
to freeze in his drowned locks rattled at every turn of 
his head. A mariner cast aw T ay on the inhospitable 
coast of Spitzbergen could not be more an object of com¬ 
passion than was Dr. Gog, as with dripping sides he 
emerged from the water. His nose and lips were drawn 
and blue, and with shaking limbs he approached his 
companions with the salutation, 

“Well,boys, I suppose the d—d Yankees are gone?” 

Keplied Johnny Munson, in a very impertinent man¬ 
ner, “Why, doctor, the affair turned out to be a false 
alarm; there were no Yankees at all.” And they all 
looked at Dr. Gog and laughed, he standing there for¬ 
lorn and covered with goose-bumps. 

A new light then broke on his mind—not the cheerful 
ray shining on a benighted land, but a sulphurous and 
infernal light, which makes Knowledge, an angel of con¬ 
solation on earth, one of the furies to torment man in 
hell. The wrath of the invincible Greek was an amiable 
feeling compared with the mood which spread like an 
angry cloud over the parson. His brow darkened, his 
eyes emitted a strange lire. Without uttering a word, 
he stooped and grasped one of the smooth enameled stones 
which the torrent had piled in that place. Missile after 
missile hurled he at his tormentors, who instantly decamp¬ 
ed—Jake, with his long legs, leading the way. One of 
the projectiles was better aimed, or was launched with 
a more auspicious fortune, for the churchman had the in¬ 
expressible satisfaction of seeing Mr. Blackwell Magog 


408 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

knocked off the fence which lay across his line of retreat. 
But lie was soon on his feet again, though it gave the 
parson no little satisfaction to behold the treacherous 
scoundrel, as he climbed the hill, rub his bushy head, as 
hard and shaggy as the frontlet of a bison. 

It is a consolation to reflect that in the most calami¬ 
tous situations there is always some circumstance to alle¬ 
viate our misery—one drop of the sweet in every cup of 
the bitter. Remember this, children of Adam! and oh, 
Philosophy! in their weary pilgrimage, teach them to. 
find the single drop of honey, or rather thou divine 
Chemistry! 

An impartial observer could not deny that the parson 
had achieved a complete victory. The field of battle was 
abandoned to him, and at his leisure he could proceed to 
erect his trophy, that undeniable evidence of success. 
But, after all, was it a success ? Could it with any pro¬ 
priety be placed in the catalogue of martial triumphs, 
thought the chaplain, as he was seated on a decayed 
stump, with his back turned on the breath of winter, as 
it came from those blue hills, so beautiful and cold in 
their wavy outline? Was it not rather a defeat, for had 
he not driven from him those who alone could serve him ? 

Children of men, why will ye so torment one another ? 
Is it not better to bring relief than to inflict misery? 
Inquire of the angels of mercy, those brightest of created 
beings ! Would it not have been far better to have 
given the parson, benumbed with cold, a glass of Cogniac, 
or one of his own favorite Downing ? 

Downing resides near Linden Station, on the Manassas 
Gap Railway, at the western extremity of Poverty Hol¬ 
low, pleasantly so called, because it is one of the very 
richest indentations of the eastern slope of the Blue 
Ridge. There, in Poverty Hollow, the maidens are, or 
used to be, the fairest—there the flowers blow the sweet- 



“ Gog in the Land of Magog.” 


409 


est, and the rivulets, as they dance their wayward round, 
murmur of a gentle love, and chant their wild minstrelsy 
to the stars. But the best and brightest is gone—the 
gentle, the blue-eyed Lucy. She sleeps now under the 
stars, near the country church where she worshiped God, 
and has left behind only this memory. 

Write for the “ Gog” brand; it is the purest and sweet¬ 
est distillation. It is true, ill-natured persons say the 
devil taught Downing to make this Gog liquor, and that, 
on his part, Downing entered into certain covenants to be 
complied with beyond the grave. But I believe not the 
story. It is the invention of malice and jealousy, for 
Downing is a first-rate fellow, and is the last man in 
Fauquier to deal in the black art. 

But, bless me! where is Doctor Gog during this unex¬ 
pected, but, I trust, not uninteresting episode ? Where is 
the doctor ? Amiable friend, while thou wert in the airy 
regions of speculation, or, fancy bound, wert in Poverty 
Hollow, or the Happy Valley, or Dreamland, as the Hol¬ 
low used in the olden time to be called—that is, twenty 
years ago—by the joyous young people who laughed life 
away and loved under the blue sky, ah ! too well—while 
thou wert thus beguiling the time, Doctor Gog, obedient 
to the law of self-preservation, was limping, foot-sore, to 
the barn of Mr. Blackwell Magog. What a contrast to 
his headlong descent! 

Arrived at the barn—let us call it instead a temple of 
Ceres, as being the heaped altar at which that goddess 
loves best to be worshiped—the denuded parson could 
neither see nor hear of living wight. The presence of la¬ 
dies prevented a nearer approach to the house. A negro 
wench or two, when the Yankees were flanking round 
the house, Adolphus Adam Gog could encounter; but a 
house full of ladies of good English blood, filtered through 
several generations of Virginian ancestors, was a different 









410 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

thing. There is always some one act which a man will 
not do, and to enter the presence of ladies thus divested 
of raiment was with the parson that one act. He would 
visit the palace of the winter god, and beard that hoary 
monarch, throned amid arctic snows, before he would 
paint the cheek of modesty with a blush. 

So, instead of approaching the dwelling, he sought the 
sunny side of the barn, there to wait until his clothes 
could be brought him. As the sun bathed the parson’s 
form in his bright beams, sending the freezing blood 
through each artery and throbbing vein, how delicious 
were the sensations they produced. How like a god he 
looked, throned in the heavens, ever in his zenith, reign¬ 
ing amid burning constellations and dazzling splendors, 
and sending throughout creation those resplendent rays 
—the ministers of his grace and mercy. From the bot¬ 
tom of his heart he thanked the kind Father who kindled 
those soft, eternal fires in which all living things might 
rejoice—yes, all—the worm and the soaring eagle; the 
beggar upon whom fortune never smiled, and the prince 
upon whom she never frowned. 

But it was not long ere the doctor heard the sound of 
approaching footsteps. It was Munson. Overjoyed he 
ran toward the young guerrilla, but undue haste scared 
him away, or, as the doctor phrased it, “ knocked the fat 
in the fire.” 

“ Johnny, dear Johnny,” said the divine, who determ¬ 
ined to try the effect of soft words. Beassured, Munson 
ventured nearer, and, seating himself on a fragment of a 
plow, the following colloquy ensued: 

Doctor Gog. “Johnny, my boy, of this be sure, you need 
never be afraid of me. You are my favorite in the whole 
battalion, and for my right arm I wouldn’t hurt a hair 
of your head. But, sweet youth, bring my clothes, or I’ll 
catch my death, and then, you know, the command would 
break up.” 





“ Gog in the Land of Magog.” 


411 


Munson. “ Catcli your death, parson ! I never saw you 
in a finer glow. But I have always heard mountain 
breezes recommended for health. Catch your death! I 
understand you well enough; you want to catch me, and 
then you’d mash every bone in my body. When you 
want to fool a man with such chaff as you carry in your 
wallet, I advise you not to begin with one of Mosby’s 
men.” 

Doctor Gog. “ No, no, dear boy, I swear by the honor 
of a Christian minister, and that is an oath of credit, I 
will not hurt a hair of your head.” 

Munson. “What made you, then, throw those stones at 
me in the meadow ? Don’t you suppose you hurt a hair 
of Mr. Blackwell Magog’s head when you knocked him off 
the fence ? If that’s what you mean by your fair prom¬ 
ises, I think I had better look after my own safety. No, 
sir, I didn’t take your clothes from you, and I’ll have 
nothing to do with the affair; for once in my life I’ll at¬ 
tend to my own business.” And, so saying, the young 
man rose to depart. 

Doctor Gog. “Johnny Munson, for God’s sake don’t 
leave me. I swear by the crucifix that I will not hurt 
you, and that oath would bind the devil himself.” 

Munson then resumed his seat and said, 

“ But, sir, you are not a Catholic, and that makes you 
so very convenient on the subject of oaths; but I have 
no sort of confidence in these Universalist preachers. It 
is the next thing to having no religion at all.” 

Doctor Gog. “I convenient on the subject of oaths! 
Why, that’s an aspersion on the whole command. What 
would the world say of the morality of the men if you 
tell them their chaplain has a seared conscience \ But, 
Johnny, you are wrong in the fact; I have a touch of the 

Catholic too.” 

Munson. “Yes, no doubt, just as you are a Baptist or 


412 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

a Presbyterian, or a Methodist, or a Swedenborgian, or 
what not. No, sir, yonr religious principles afford no 
sort of security.” 

Doctor Gog. “ Ungrateful guerrilla! Out of the whole 
command you have ever been my favorite. Yes, I have 
taken twice the pains with your religious education that 
I have with that of any other man in the battalion. But, 
my boy, won’t you bring me my clothes ?” 

Munson . “ No doubt you love me devotedly, since you 
can scarce refrain from knocking me down in company. 
If what you say be true, why didn’t you let me have 
some of the liquor to-day ?” 

Doctor Gog. “ Why, my boy, I was keeping it for a 
hob-nob between us to-night. Do you sujjpose I would 
let that long-legged guerrilla, Jake, and that pudding¬ 
faced fellow, Mr. Blackwell Magog, and the young thieves 
around them, have any of it ? No, Blockade should be 
kept for gentlemen. Apple-jack and new dip are good 
enough for them. D—n it, Johnny, have you lost your 
penetration ?” 

Munson. “ Not as much, perhaps, as you think.” 

Doctor Gog. “ Oh, Johnny, have you too growm sus¬ 
picious ? I have always loved and admired you for the 
unaffected simplicity of your nature. Of all the charms 
of youth, ingenuousness is most endearing to me.” 

Munson. “Parson,it’s no use to talk to me in that way. 
We had as w T ell get to business at once. I know not 
how it is with you, basking there in the sun, but it’s dev¬ 
ilish cold out here. You remember the gray horse you 
cheated me out of at ‘ Seven up’ last Sunday two weeks ? 
Well, I must have him back, and the calico horse too, 
that we got in the Fairfax raid.” 

Doctor Gog. “ Why, Johnny, both the horses were fairly 
won, and surely you would not unravel such old transac¬ 
tions? But, as I always like to have a man satisfied—” 


“ Gog in the Land of Magog.” 


413 


Munson. “ Particularly a great favorite.” 

Doctor Gog. “I am willing to play for the stakes again.” 

Munson. “ That yon may have, I suppose, the pleasure 
of again cheating me. No, I must have both horses back, 
and no conditions. And then there’s the bottle of liquor. 
I must have that back.” 

Doctor Gog. “You shall have them all, dear boy, and 
may they do you more good than they’ve done me, par¬ 
ticularly the liquor. Now, lad, for the clothes!” 

Munson. “Not yet. I must have the roll of cloth you 
got from the sutler in the Valley, as well as the lot of smo¬ 
king tobacco that you brought from Richmond, or hang 
me if I bring you the clothes.” 

Doctor Gog „ “Johnny, you shall have them all—the 
horses, the cloth, the liquor, the tobacco. Any thing 
more ?” 

Munson. “Yes. I never saw you so accommodating 
before. The pleasant morning and your summer apparel 
have produced a fine effect ilpon you. I must have the 
watch and chain, and the greenbacks too, which you took 
from the Yankee parson.” 

Doctor Gog. “John Munson, how thou best! I have 
no recollection of such a transaction, but have always 
heard that i hawks winna pike out hawks’ eyes,’ as the 
Scotch proverb hath it.” 

Munson. “No lie about it. It was just as I say. I wit¬ 
nessed the affair, and never laughed more in my life. The 
Yankee was of the Beecher school, and did the preach¬ 
ing of a Massachusetts regiment. You went through 
him like a dose of salts. As he couldn’t answer certain 
Scripture questions which you propounded, you pro¬ 
nounced him an impostor, and confiscated his watch and 
chain. His pocket-book you had taken on general prin¬ 
ciples. I must have the watch and chain, at least, for 
that’s the best way, I find, to settle the differences of the 



414 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Church. I will have to play Judge Monkey, and adjudi¬ 
cate between you.” 

Doctor Gog. “Johnny Munson, you take advantage of 
my misfortunes! But take the trinkets; you know they 
were always yours for the asking.” 

These concessions appeared to satisfy the Ranger, for 
he moved off in the direction of the house, but soon re 
turned and reopened negotiations. 

Doctor Gog. “Why, what the h—11 do you want now?” 

Munson. “ I must have a pair of cavalry boots, for mine 
(stretching out his legs) are almost gone. You know, as 
the government money is w^orth nothing, we are compel¬ 
led up here to adopt Bonaparte’s maxim, and make ‘ war 
support war.’ I must have the boots, and good ones too.” 

Doctor Gog (aside). “The unconscionable rogue! He 
would rob me of the last shilling, and leave me to make 
a livelihood by preaching the Gospel to a gang of thieves. 
That fellow was born for a money-lender. However, I 
must speak him fair, though I never mean to be bound 
by one of the extorted promises. (To Munson.) Certain¬ 
ly, Johnny; how could I refuse you any thing ? Yes, you 
shall have a nice, new pair of cavalry boots. But I must 
have my clothes first.” 

This time Munson started off as if in earnest, and soon 
disappeared. He staid, the parson thought, unreasonably 
long, and when he reappeared it was without the clothes. 
It was with difficulty that the doctor could si^press his 
rage as he saw the young man deliberately resume his 
former seat. 

Doctor Gog. “In the name of ten thousand furies, what 
will you have next? I shall die of cold behind this cl—cl 
old barn, and that would make a pretty paragraph in the 
newspapers!” 

Munson. “Be not disturbed on that score, parson, for I 
engage to write your obituary. Let me see how it will 



“ Gog in the Land of Magog.” 


415 


run: ‘Departed this life, on the — day of-, the Rev. 

Doctor Adolphus Adam Gog, C. M. B., at Heartland. He 
died of a violent attack of—modesty.’ Ha, ha, ha! No, 
doctor, I am not satisfied. I must have security that you 
will perform your engagements.” 

In the most provoking manner, Munson began to whis¬ 
tle a popular love-song. 

Doctor Gog . “John Munson, what security can I give 
in this situation ? Are you going to be another Shylock, 
and demand your pound of flesh?” 

“Yes,” responded Munson, coolly, “several of them, for 
I must have Mr. Blackwell Magog and Jake for the bail.” 

“Jake, I suppose, for the leg-bail,” said the parson, smil- 
ing. 

Munson. “Ha, ha, ha! Excellent. Yes, Jake for the 
leg-bail. I am glad to find that your wit, at least, is not 
congealed. There is nothing, I see, like a change of cli¬ 
mate for the wit.” 

This point settled, Munson started off once more, and 
soon returned, bringing a bundle, and followed by Mr. 
Blackwell Magog and Jake, who found seats near Mun¬ 
son’s former place of negotiation; but the securities man¬ 
ifested much reluctance to becoming bound for the chap¬ 
lain, Jake objecting that he had a way of slipping out of 
his en 2 :a 2 ;ements, like an eel through a fisherman’s hand. 
The complications of the Congress of Vienna were not so 
difficult to arrange, and the treaty was about being broken 
off, when, Munson relaxing his attention for a moment, the 
parson sprang forward, and, knocking his two securities 
to the ground, possessed himself of the bundle, and then 
retreated to his former position, fetching, as he did so, an 
ineffectual blow at Munson. The proposed securities arose 
from the ground, and in a very ill humor walked away, 
leaving Munson again alone with the chaplain. 

When Dr. Go^ examined the bundle he found it coll¬ 
et 



416 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 

tained only his boots and waistcoat, with which he was 
not much more presentable than before. 

“ Knocked the fat in the fire again,” quoth the doctor, 
in a sorrowful voice, and, seating himself on a projecting 
log in the floor of the building, buried his face in his 
hands as one bereft of hope. 

From sheer compassion at his sad plight Munson then 
brought the rest of the clothes, but their owner would 
take no notice of him. Fearing lest he had carried the 
joke too far, the young man approached the parson and 
shook him roughly by the shoulder. In a moment he 
found himself in a Herculean grasp, and felt keenly the 
blows of a hickory withe that had lain near. 

“ So you want the calico horse, do you ?” shouted the 
parson, “ and the cloth, and the tobacco ?” 

The blows fell heavy and fast, and Munson began to 
think it was not such a good joke after all. 

“ The watch, and the chain too,” exclaimed the doctor, 
pausing to recover his breath. u You say you must have 
them, for it’s the best way to settle the disputes of the 
Church. So you mean to play Judge Monkey, do you, 
between two quarreling cats ? But your honor will find 
that one, at least, of the parties litigant has claws.” 

As he uttered these words the parson paused in the 
castigation, still holding his tormentor by the collar. 

“ How do you like this security ?” growled he, shaking 
Munson with his left hand by the collar. “ It suits me 
very well.” 

Again the thrashing began, and the action might have 
lasted till the ammunition was exhausted, for the parson 
had entered on a regular campaign, but for Munson’s 
presence of mind. He kicked the bundle of clothes as if 
to send it under the barn, which induced Dr. Gog to relax 
his hold, thus enabling the Banger to make his escape. 

When the injured chaplain returned to the apartment 


417 


Prison Experiences of Mosbfs Men. 

from which he had made so sudden an exit to solace him¬ 
self with a glass of Blockade, not a drop could he find. 
In his absence the liquor had been confiscated, and its 
lawful owner announced his intention of retiring in dis¬ 
gust from the world. 


CHAPTER LI. 

PRISON EXPERIENCES OF MOSBy’s MEN. 

* 

Upper Fauquier, February 15th, 1865. 

Hear Percy, —Feeling that my chronicle will be in¬ 
complete without some account of prison life as experi¬ 
enced by Mosby’s men, I have procured from Tom Rich¬ 
ards an account of his long captivity, some particulars of 
which I will introduce in this letter, and also several 
escapes from prison effected by members of the battalion 
under circumstances of great peril. 

Richards, along with fourteen wounded comrades, was 
captured in the fight at Warrenton Junction and carried 
to Alexandria, where they were placed in a hospital with 
Federal soldiers, and were allowed to receive kind atten¬ 
tions from the ladies of that town, many of whom sympa¬ 
thized warmly with the Southern cause. Of their noble 
and untiring efforts in behalf of the prisoners Richards 
speaks in the most admiring and grateful terms. From 
the hospital he was removed to the Old Capitol Prison, 
from which place, at the close of two uneventful months, 
he was sent to Point Lookout, where he tasted all the 
horrors of prison life north of the Potomac for the space 
of seven months. 

When he reached Point Lookout the number of prison¬ 
ers was small. They were encamped on Chesapeake Bay, 
and a line of sentries was stationed around the camp ex¬ 
cept on the bay side. But, in consequence of the escape 

D D 




418 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

of several prisoners—among others, Tom Lake and his 
party—the additional precaution was taken of inclosing 
the prison with a fence sixteen feet high, made of plank 
set on end. About three feet from the top of this inclos¬ 
ure was a platform on which a line of sentries walked 
their beat. On the bay side were two gates, which were 
left open during the day, but at night were strongly barred 
and guarded. As the prospects of a cartel of exchange be¬ 
came more gloomy, some of the captives, from that strong 
desire of freedom planted in every breast, began to con¬ 
trive plans of escape. Among these I will mention the 
case of five prisoners wdio were bound to each other by 
ties of friendship. One of them, in behalf of the party, 
approached during the day the sentinel on duty at one 
of the gates which I have referred to, and, after some pre¬ 
liminary conversation, proposed to him, in consideration 
of a large reward, to allow himself and four others to 
escape through the gate during the next night. The 
guard was not averse to the proposition, yet doubted its 
feasibility, and urged the fatal result to himself in case of 
detection, but promised to give a definite answer when on 
duty later in the day. In the afternoon, as soon as the 
sentinel was seen pacing his customary round, the prison¬ 
er, with anxious heart, inquired his determination. He 
replied that he would open the prison gate, but that he 
must be well paid for it. The price finally agreed upon 
was one gold watch, two silver watches, and forty dollars 
in greenbacks, which was the sum of the valuables which 
the party could muster. At the hour agreed upon the 
price was paid, the gate was opened, and the prisoners 
walked forth. To return to their homes ? No ! The 
sentinel had played them false. 

As soon as he had been relieved from duty in the fore¬ 
noon, he had hurried to the provost-marshal, Captain 
Patterson, of the 14th New Hampshire Infantry, and had 


419 


Prison Experiences of Mosbfs Men . 

communicated to liim the overture he had just received. 
Captain Patterson instructed him to accept the bribe, 
and to allow the men at the appointed hour to pass to 
the outside of the prison. About half an hour in advance 
of the hour agreed upon, the provost-marshal concealed 
twelve cavalrymen, armed with carbines and pistols, un¬ 
der the bank of the bay, at a distance of twelve feet from 
the gate at which the Confederates were to make their 
exit. As soon as the prisoners had passed through the 
portal, the gate was closed and barred behind them, and 
Captain Patterson and his twelve men rose from ambush 
and fired upon the defenseless men. “ For a moment,” 
says Richards,“the firing was rapid; but above the sound 
of fire-arms and the shout of the blood-thirsty wretches I 
could distinctly hear one of the Confederates exclaim, 

‘For God’s sake, don’t kill me! I give up.’ In a mo¬ 
ment more the firing ceased, and all was again still, save 
the cries and groans of the wounded men. Stretchers 
were now brought on which to transport them to the 
prison. Cary, of Martinsburg, Virginia, was desperately 
wounded, two others less severely, while the rest of the 
party escaped the same fate by falling prostrate on the 
ground, as if dead. These facts can be vouched for by 
almost any number of witnesses.” In the month of No¬ 
vember four hundred officers were brought to Point 
Lookout, and shortly afterward two regiments of negroes 
were put to guard the prisoners. They treated them 
with great insolence and brutality, and in this they were 
encouraged by the prison authorities. Here is an exam¬ 
ple. About eleven o’clock at night one of these negro 
sentinels who was pacing his beat fired his musket into 
the encampment. The ball passed through the head of 
a prisoner who was asleep in liis tent, causing immediate 
death, and also inflicted a mortal wound on a companion 
lying at his side. As soon as the circumstances of this 


420 


Partisan Life loith Mosby . 

case were known, the indignation of the prisoners was so 
great that the officer of the guard, under pretense of 
sending the negro to the guard-house for punishment, 
hurried him off. But the next day he was seen again on 
duty with corporal’s stripes on his arm, for he had been 
promoted for this outrage upon humanity. When asked 
by the officer upon his arrival why he fired, he replied, 
u I hearn a noise over dar.” 

Many other cases occurred quite as shocking, which 
can be authenticated by thousands of witnesses. For 
several weeks, at one period, this wanton shooting con¬ 
tinued, averaging a death of at least one prisoner a day. 
To so great an extent was it carried that the tyrants in 
command at Point Lookout, fearing lest rumors of their 
connivance at these atrocious deeds might reach the ears 
of the higher authorities, issued an order prohibiting the 
shooting of prisoners, except when they attempted to 
make their escape. 

The mechanical ingenuity exhibited by the captives 
was manifested in various ways, not only for the purpose 
of whiling away the tedious hours, but in order to obtain 
funds with which to purchase some of the necessaries of 
life. Trinkets of almost every description, finger-rings, 
breast-pins, ear-drops, watch-chains, and miniature books 
were carved in the most beautiful style. One of the 
prisoners made with his pen-knife, in half of a canteen, 
a clock, which kept good time; while another, with a 
small coffee-pot for a boiler, made a steam-engine, and 
had it running on a short track for the amusement of his 
companions. The Yankees would buy these trinkets, 
and send them as curiosities to their friends, or to be 
sold on a speculation. About the fourth month of Rich¬ 
ards’s captivity he was sent from the prison-camp to the 
Hammond General Hospital, and there he remained till 
he was exchanged. 


Prison Experiences of Mosb fs Men . 421 

Tom Lake, one of Mosby’s men, to whose escape from 
the prison at Point Lookout I have already alluded, 
effected it in company with three companions, in the fol¬ 
lowing manner. With their boots under their arms and 
their money in the crowns of their hats, they managed to 
elude the sentry, who was pacing his beat. Arrived on 
the beach, their difficulties were just begun, for they had 
to go out some distance into the bay in order to pass 
around the guard posted on the narrow peninsula which 
separates the waters of the bay from the waters of the 
Potomac Piver. They attempted first to wade, the tall¬ 
est in front, all linked together by clasped hands. In 
this way they proceeded through the sparkling water 
until it so far increased in depth as to oblige them to 
swim. But they fortunately soon reached a sand-bar 
which ran parallel to the shore, and were again enabled 
to wade. They followed the sand-bar through the dark 
rolling waters, not knowing at what moment they might 
be ingulfed; but after a slow and toilsome march of two 
miles, which carried them past the sentinels, they struck 
for the beach. The moon then rose, like a mountain of 
fire, from amid the waters, and enabled them with safe¬ 
ty to reach the shore. At midnight they landed, hav¬ 
ing been five hours in the water, and hastened forward 
through swamps and woodland. Taking the precaution 
only to travel by night until they got out of the enemy’s 
lines, by the aid of friendly citizens they were helped 
along their journey, and reached in safety their friends 
on the Virginia shore. 

I will now relate the circumstances of Charley Gro¬ 
gan’s escape from the prison on Johnson’s Island, which 
was appropriated to officers, of whom there were about 
two thousand in confinement there at the time about 
‘ which I am writing. 

Grogan was captured at Gettysburg, along with Gen- 


422 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

eral Trimble, on whose staff he was then serving, and 
after a short imprisonment in Fort McHenry was removed 
to Johnson’s Island. This island, about three hundred 
acres in extent, is for the most part covered with wood, 
and is situated in Lake Erie, about three miles from 
Sandusky, and one mile from the nearest point on the 
Ohio shore. The prison, as at Point Lookout, is sur¬ 
rounded by a plank inclosure, on the top of which senti¬ 
nels were mounted, with orders to shoot any one who 
approached within twenty feet of the wall. There was 
but one gateway to this inclosure, which was never used 
but to admit prisoners and rations. The garrison was 
quartered outside of the prison walls. The rations fur¬ 
nished the prisoners were insufficient, but those who had 
money were allowed to make purchases from sutlers. In 
consequence of a conspiracy which was formed among 
the officers confined on this island to overpower the gar¬ 
rison, and, seizing the transportation at the wharf, to es¬ 
cape to Canada, which was revealed to the authorities by 
a prison spy, a gun-boat was stationed so as to bear on 
the prison, and prevent the execution of any such design. 

At the expiration of four weeks’ confinement, Grogan, 
whose thoughts were still bent on regaining his liberty, 
discovered a collection of prisoners at the outer gate, and, 
upon inquiring the cause, was informed that they were 
going under guard to a building on the wharf for the 
purpose of refilling their beds with straw. He saw in 
this an opportunity at least for getting beyond the pris¬ 
on walls, and slipping on a citizen’s coat, so as to be ready 
to take advantage of any thing that might occur, he joined 
the party. Arrived at the building, which was of rough 
plank, and near the water’s edge, he was the last to enter, 
for he was busy in observing the island. When he went 
in, unobserved by the sentinel, but aided by his friends, 
who soon discovered his purpose, he hid himself in the 


423 


Prison Experiences of Mosbfs Men. 

straw, and when the order to return to the prison was 
given he was not missed by the guard, who quietly lock¬ 
ed the door upon him. Grogan remained perfectly quiet, 
and occupied himself with cutting his bed-tick into strips 
for future use, until he found that all was still for the 
night on the island. He then carefully examined the 
door, and climbed to the roof of the building in which 
he was confined, but could discover no means of escape 
from either. He then saw an opening in the side of the 
house which had been a window, but then had planks 
nailed over it. To this he directed all his energy, and, 
with a pocket-knife, succeeded in making an opening 
large enough for him to creep through. The moon was 
shining brightly, and there was a sentinel pacing his beat 
at a short distance in front of the building from which 
the captive had escaped. Waiting until the sentinel’s 
back was turned, he managed to pass him without discov¬ 
ery, and reached the shore, where he crept along, hid by 
the bushes, until he passed around the building and was 
sheltered by it. He then rose to his feet, but on reaching 
the rear of the building came in sight of the garrison sen¬ 
tinels, and was again forced to get on his hands and knees, 
and crawl to a piece of wood. From this he emerged into 
an open field, and passed rapidly on, his object being to 
gain the nearest point on the island to the Ohio shore. 
He then went to work to construct a ralt by the aid of 
the strips of bed-tick, but before it was completed daj 
dawned, and, fearing detection, he pushed off. But the 
raft soon began to go to pieces, and, in the effort to regain 
the island, Grogan was let into the water and obliged to 
wade to the shore. Thoroughly wet and greatly discour¬ 
aged, he determined to build a better raft the next night, 
but first pulled the one he had made to pieces to avoid its 
being noticed. Proceeding along the shoie, he made the 
circuit of the island, but soon discoveied that he was fol¬ 
lowed by a Yankee, who was evidently suspicious of him. 


424 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Boldness alone could then save him, and, assuming an air 
of indifference, he approached the man, whose suspicions 
he disarmed by his coolness, and walked toward the pris¬ 
on. There he encountered two men at work on the roof 
of a garrison building, from whom he inquired when the 
passenger-boat would leave for Sandusky, for he had by 
this time concluded to try that chance of escape. Pass¬ 
ing the quarters of the garrison he came ujoon the lawn, 
where an artillery company was drilling, and paused to 
observe them. He then moved on, and in his way en¬ 
countered a sutler with whom he had often traded, and 
also met face to face Major Schovell, the commanding of¬ 
ficer, to whom he bowed respectfully. To his great relief, 
the sentinel on duty at the boat did not demand passes 
from the passengers going from the island to Sandusky, 
and Grogan quietly went on board, entered into pleasant 
conversation with the captain, and then took his seat at 
the stove. At eight o’clock, to his infinite relief, the boat 
pushed off, and in less than an hour he was landed at 
Sandusky. From thence he proceeded by railway to Balti¬ 
more, where he lay concealed during the day in the house 
of a friend, but at night went forth for exercise and pleas¬ 
ure. In a few days he started for Dixie, and, crossing the 
Potomac near Leesburg, in a short time joined Mosby’s 
command. 

I will let John Munson tell his own story: 

“I was captured in the fight at the Dulaney House, with 
eight others oi our command, on the 29th of October, 
1864, and was confined in the Old Capitol Prison, in 
Washington. If prison life went harder with any one 
class of prisoners than another, it was with the ‘guerril¬ 
las,’ for they were being deprived of so much pleasure 
and ‘ plunder.’ At all events, it was hard to me, and I 
watched every opportunity of putting an end to my suffer¬ 
ings. I saw one thing, that to escape I would be compel- 


425 


Prison Experiences of Mosbfs Men. 

led to deceive some of tlie sentinels, and that jumping, run¬ 
ning, and the like expedients were out of the question. 
The Yankees had made preparations for all such attempts. 

“After a confinement in prison of nearly two months, I 
thought I had at last found a means of escape. A wagon 
came into the yard every other night, and along with it 
were generally three negroes. On one of these occasions, 
while the sentinel had his back turned to me, I approach¬ 
ed the driver, and proposed to him that the next time he 
came he should leave in the prison-yard one of his attend¬ 
ants, and let me pass out in his place. For the promise 
of a handsome reward the man consented. So the night 
agreed upon I burned a piece of cork, and picked the 
roughest looking overcoat in the prison, and the shab¬ 
biest hat, leaving a new one in its place, and, thus provi¬ 
ded, sallied forth to where the wagon was already in wait¬ 
ing. I then blacked up, walked boldly to the wagon, 
which was standing near a gas-lamp by one of the senti¬ 
nel’s beats, and mounted on the seat. Very soon two ne¬ 
groes came and took their places beside me, and, with a 
smack of the whip, we started to leave the Old Capitol. 
We had to pass several sentry-posts; one, two, three were 
all right, but when we came to number four the soldier- 
on duty stopped us, saying, ‘ Only two men came in with 
this wagon; one of you get down.’ We all tried persua¬ 
sion, and this failing, I dismounted, and offered to pay 
him a large reward if he would let me pass. But no, he 
wouldn’t budge, and I was compelled to go to the hy¬ 
drant, wash the nigger off, and return to my quarters, in 
my own estimation worth about five cents. 

“It was fortunate for me that I had happened to en¬ 
counter a kind-hearted fellow, for he let the affair drop, 
and I heard no more of it, while he could either have fired 
on me, or have reported me to the prison authorities, by 
whom I would have been put in irons and confined to one 


426 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

of the cells. Though foiled in this attempt, yet I con¬ 
soled myself with the thought that it might have been 
worse, and maybe I would have better luck another time. 
Christmas came; no escape yet. In order to keep our 
spirits up, and to celebrate the great festival of the Chris¬ 
tian world, a few of us made a bucketful of hot whisky 
punch, and issued invitations to the occupants of several 
of the rooms to join in our festivity. So we killed Christ¬ 
mas night very dead, and I retired, with the assistance of 
several of the fellows, not caring whether I ever got out 
of prison or not. 

“But with the New Year revived the old longing for 
liberty, and my powers of invention were employed in de¬ 
vising a plan for escape. I observed that the hospital 
steward—a Yankee, of course—was allowed to pass in and 
out without the countersign, the sentinels recognizing him 
by his uniform, which was the ordinary army pants and 
blouse, having on the sleeves, as a badge or insignia of 
rank, a strip of green flannel bordered with yellow, and 
in the centre something like an anchor and coil. This is 
my man, I thought; I must be hospital steward. But 
how to get the uniform was a question which I could not, 
for my life, answer. However, the plan looked well, and 
kept me in splendid spirits. Two weeks passed, and no 
uniform. At the end of that time there was an arrival 
in prison of a party of Yankee bounty-jumpers, one of 
whom wore a blouse. That is my blouse, I thought, and 
sure enough it was. This was the way I got it: 

“ I had formed the acquaintance of a Yankee prisoner— 
a Scotchman, who had promised me to do any thing in 
his power for me. I went to Sawney, and told him to buy 
the Yankee bounty-jumper’s blouse for me. Giving me 
a sly wink and a nod, he told me to come down into the 
yard in an hour, and he would have the fellow out to see 
me. I went, and found my two Yankees waiting for me, 




427 


Prison Experiences of Mosbfs Men. 

and was not long in striking a bargain. I gave two dol¬ 
lars and a half for the garment, stowed it away under my 
jacket, carried it to my room, and hid it under my bunk, 
to await future consideration. The pantaloons didn’t give 
me much trouble, for I traded my gray ones with one of 
our boys for a dark pair, which answered my purpose 
very well. Now for the strip of green flannel. I believe 
I looked all over the Old Capitol Prison for a piece of 
green flannel, but without success. I knew what every 
man’s coat was lined with, and some thick coats I had rip¬ 
ped open, while the owners were asleep, to see if there 
was any green flannel inside. I would then go to work 
to sew them up again. Another week was spent in this 
vain search, when, as I happened to be in the sutler’s shop 
one morning, I noticed a green pasteboard box, just the 
color I wanted. I asked him to give it to me to keep 
roasted coffee in. He emptied the box and handed it to 
me. I almost flew up stairs, cut it up into two slips, the 
size of those worn by the steward, and trimmed the edge 
of the green paper off, which left the yellow paper show¬ 
ing underneath. I next tried my powers as an engraver 
on the anchor and coil with perfect success; and lastly, 
when I bent the pasteboard around the sleeves and pin¬ 
ned it on my coat, it was the steward’s out and out. 

“ Of the thirty-seven men in our room, I only told one 
of them of my plan, and he admired it. It was Dennis 
Darden, who consented to go down with me into the 
yard and bring back the overcoat, which I would be com¬ 
pelled to wear in order to pass the-sentinels in the house. 
After dressing myself as hospital steward, I substituted 
my new light hat for Tom Love’s old black one, and 
started. I had chosen night as the time to make the ex¬ 
periment, having discovered that the steward got his 
meals outside, and I determined to pass for him going to 
his supper. 


428 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

“ But there was one great objection to the whole plan. 
I was no more like the hospital steward than a monkey 
was like a man. He was low and fleshy, had black eyes 
and hair, and, worse than all, had a mustache and a 
goatee; while I had been starved till I was about the 
size of a pipe-stem, stood nearly six feet, had a fair com¬ 
plexion, and had not even a sprig of hair growing on my 
face. In other words, the hospital steward was a tolera¬ 
bly good-looking man, and I was a hard-looking boy. 
Yet my confidant assured me that all that was necessary 
would be to keep a stiff upper lip, and, if I was stopped, 
to put a bold face on the matter, and, jDushing my arms 
out at the guard, bid him look at that badge. The old 
folks had always told me that Friday was an unlucky 
day to begin an enterprise, but, being one of Mosby’s 
men, I determined to treat the idea as a prejudice, and to 
make my grand effort on Friday, for on that day I would 
have been in ward and keep just three months. 

“ In the yard I took leave of Dennis, and told him to 
hasten to the up-stairs window, and he would soon see 
me walk across the street as free as if I were in Fauquier. 
I felt just then a very disagreeable weakness about my 
knees, but one or two drinks from the sutler’s “ chain 
lightning” steadied them. From the direction of the 
hospital I advanced boldly up to the door of the prison, 
which opened on the passage leading to the street, with 
my hands in my pockets, and my elbows stuck out so 
that the badges could be plainly seen. Here I encoun¬ 
tered the first sentinel,-who looked hard at me, but I kept 
my arms full in view and walked briskly on, passing the 
second and third without looking at them. When I ap¬ 
proached the fourth, he stepped toward me, but it was 
only to open the door, that the hospital steward might 
pass out. I then heard the door of the Old Capitol 
Prison close on me, I hoped forever. But there was one 


429 


Mosby 1 s Early Life and Character. 

more sentinel, whose beat was on tlie pavement in front 
of the house. I passed him, and was once more a free 
Ranger. I soon tore the badges from my sleeves, threw 
them into the Capitol grounds, and walked down Penn¬ 
sylvania Avenue with a light and joyous heart. Having 
been furnished by Dennis with all necessary directions 
before I left him, in an hour I was transformed into a 
fashionable cit from Baltimore. I remained in Washing¬ 
ton four days with the Southern men, who wished me to 
stay longer, but the Potomac was then frozen over, and 
that was my opportunity to cross. I walked thirty-five 
miles through Maryland, and the third day after I left 
the city arrived at Leesburg. 

“ In half an hour after I left the prison my absence was 
discovered, and the authorities commenced a search. 
They found out the Yankee who had sold me the blouse, 
put him in irons, and sent him to Fort Delaware, but I 
don’t think they ever knew how I had managed to get off.” 


CHAPTER LII. 

MOSBY'S EARLY LIFE AND CHARACTER. 

Upper Fauquier, January 27th, 1865. 

Dear Percy, —I will devote tliis letter to a narration 
of the facts which I have been at pains to collect, to ena¬ 
ble me to gratify the very natural desire you have ex¬ 
pressed to know something of Mosby’s origin and training, 
as well as of his military life previous to his entering the 
Partisan service. 

John Singleton Mosby is the son of Alfred D. Mosby, 
of Amherst County, and was born on the 6th of Decem¬ 
ber, 1833, at Edgemont, in Powhatan County, the resi¬ 
dence of his maternal grandfather, the Rev. Mr. M‘Laurin, 



430 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

of the Episcopal Church. At the immature age of six¬ 
teen he entered the University of Virginia, where he 
displayed great aptitude in several branches of learning, 
particularly in the study of the Greek language, in which 
lie graduated at an early period of his course. But his 
college life was suddenly and rudely interrupted by a 
personal difficulty, in which self-preservation compelled 
him to shoot his assailant, inflicting upon him a painful 
but not dangerous wound. For this act he was tried by 
the Criminal Court of Albemarle County, and adjudged 
to suffer six months’ imprisonment, and pay a fine of one 
thousand dollars. This harsh sentence wns referable to 
the uncommon ability with which he was prosecuted by 
William J. Bobertson, then Commonwealth’s Attorney, 
now the ornament of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, 
in connection with a strong feeling of prejudice entertain¬ 
ed by the citizens of Albemarle against the students of 
the University—a feeling which always springs up where 
a community, peculiar in its characteristics and pursuits, 
resides in the bosom of another community. As an evi¬ 
dence of the injustice of the verdict of the jury, the 
Legislature of Virginia, before whom all the facts of the 
case were laid, annulled it, at the recommendation of the 
governor, in so far as it had not been executed at the 
time of their assembly. When the offender was called 
up to receive the judgment of the court, some of the over- 
righteous of the community were much scandalized when 
the stripling stood up, in the midst of frowning brows, 
with no sign of penitence, and looked upon his judges 
with eyes as bold and bright as ever. It is but justice to 
the distinguished prosecutor to add, that when he took 
his seat, he remarked that he had never performed so 
disagreeable a duty, and had he been in Mosby’s place 
he was cpiite sure he would have acted as Mosby had 
done. This was the beginning of an acquaintance be- 


431 


Moshjs Early Life and Character. 

tween the two, for Judge Robertson often visited the 
prisoner during his confinement, and furnished him with 
books with which to begin the study of law. As soon 
as his legal studies were completed he settled in Bristol, 
a small town intersected by the boundary-line of Vir¬ 
ginia and Tennessee. Here he soon achieved success in 
his profession, and married Miss Pauline Clarke, a lady 
distinguished for her personal attractions, and the daugh¬ 
ter of the Honorable Beverley J. Clarke, of Kentucky, 
late United States Minister to Central America, for many 
years a member of the United States Congress, and a 
criminal lawyer of great distinction. 

Toward the close of the session of the Virginia Conven¬ 
tion of 1861, Mr. Beverley Johnston, brother of the illus¬ 
trious General Joseph E. Johnston, and a distinguished 
lawyer of the Southwest, read aloud in Abingdon,Virginia, 
to an excited crowd, a telegraphic dispatch announcing the 
secession of the state. He then inquired if they ratified 
the act. With one voice they said, “We do ratify it.” 
Mosby was in this crowd. Without delay he joined a 
volunteer company of cavalry, the Washington Mounted 
Rifles, commanded by Captain William E. Jones, of the 
old army, and was granted a furlough to return home to 
settle up his unfinished business, and bid farewell to his 
wife and children. As soon as he had enrolled his name 
he visited the Honorable John B. Floyd, who had been 
but recently Secretary of War of the United States, to 
hear his views about the condition of the country. Amid 
the general excitement, that able statesman wore a grave 
and ominous brow. He said, “ The leaders of this move¬ 
ment in the South know not whither they are going. 
Some of them talk of a short war; some of them talk of 
no war; while other visionaries admit the possibility of 
war, yet say the battles of the South will be fought by 
the fleets of England and the bayonets of France. There 


432 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

are no reveries and conjectures that are too wild and im¬ 
probable for the dreamers at Montgomery to indulge in. 
Instead,” he added, “of there being no war, or a short 
war, or a war which will be fought for us by foreign pow¬ 
ers, it will prove to be one of the longest and most san¬ 
guinary conflicts between the North and South that ever 
desolated the earth. The men who prevented the seces¬ 
sion of Virginia three months ago, and those at Montgom¬ 
ery. who have fooled away the season of preparation, will 
be responsible for the tears of every widow and orphan.” 

About the middle of June Captain Jones’s company re¬ 
ported to Governor Letcher at Richmond. During the 
march Mosby formed an acquaintance with Fountain 
Beattie which proved to be fruitful of results to both the 
young soldiers. While the company was camped near 
Richmond, he met on the street Honorable Tim Rives, 
the great Douglas orator in Virginia, with whom he had 
been brought into association by a similarity of political 
opinion. Mr. Rives proposed to the young soldier to ap¬ 
ply for a commission in some of the cavalry regiments 
then being formed, but, with a modesty and disinterested¬ 
ness quite uncommon in republican states, Mosby declined, 
saying that he was without any knowledge of military 
affairs, and preferred serving as private under an able 
commander like Captain Jones. Another incident oc¬ 
curred about this time which strikingly illustrates his in¬ 
dependent spirit. An ugly, ill-cut uniform, of a dingy, 
drab-colored cloth, which had been manufactured in the 
looms of the State Prison, was distributed among the 
men. It had well-nigh produced a mutiny, and the clothes, 
amid murmurs and complaints, were deposited in a pile 
near the captain’s tent by all to whom they had been is¬ 
sued save Mosby and Beattie. They laughed at the an¬ 
ger of their comrades, and dressed in the “ penitentiary 
cloth,” as it was called in derision, rode into Richmond to 


433 


Mosbfs Early Life and Character. 

the store-house of Mr. George S. Palmer, where they found 
one of the company officers engaged in purchasing a hand¬ 
some but less durable uniform. But, after the battle of 
Manassas, the whole company were glad enough to obtain 
the discarded clothes. 

From Richmond Captain Jones marched to Bunker 
Hill, where his company was incorporated in the 1st Reg¬ 
iment of Virginia Cavalry, commanded by Colonel J. E. 
B. Stuart. This regiment, after serving in the Valley, ac¬ 
companied General Johnston to the battle-field of Manas¬ 
sas. 

Before it left the Valley a lot of cavalry pistols was 
distributed among the several companies. Six of them 
fell to Captain Jones, who selected six men to whom the 
arms were to be given, but he said, by way of qualifica¬ 
tion when they were delivered, “ I shall always put these 
men in front. I shall always place them in the post of 
greatest danger.” While the regiment was stationed on 
Bull Run, Captain Jones had occasion to send a scout 
across the stream into M‘Dowell’s lines. He called for 
the men who had the six pistols. Mosby was the first 
who obeyed the summons. This teas his first scout. 

During the long period of inactivity which followed 
the battle of Manassas he performed outpost service with 
his regiment, and was distinguished in the company for 
the punctuality and cheerfulness with which he discharged 
his duty. Entertaining a high opinion of Captain Jones’s 
military capacity, he used to spend many evenings in that 
officer’s tent, conversing about military affairs and discuss¬ 
ing with him military problems. The result of this in¬ 
tercourse was, that Mosby was appointed adjutant of the 
regiment as soon as Jones was promoted to the command 
of it. He also spent much of his time in the perusal of 
Noland’s work on the Employment of Cavalry, Mahan on 
Outpost Duty,Marmont’s Institutes, and Napoleon’s Max- 

E E 


434 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 

ims, besides several works on Partisan warfare. This 
ushered him into a new world of ideas, for till then he 
bad been conversant only with the affairs of peace. 

On tbe 8tli of March the regiment broke up its encanrp- 
ment, and prepared, along with the rest of the Confeder¬ 
ate army, to abandon to the enemy the Piedmont region, 
richly stored with agricultural produce, and fall back to 
the defense of the capital—the remarkable result of one 
of the most decisive victories in modern warfare. 

While the brigade was lying at Warrenton Junction, 
General Stuart, through Lieutenant Mosby, ordered Col¬ 
onel Jones to take the First and Second Regiments, and 
cross Cedar Run, and proceed as far as Bristoe Station, on 
a reconnoissance. On account of the swollen condition 
of that stream, Colonel Jones replied, through the same 
channel, that it would consume an entire day to swim the 
horses of two regiments across it. When Mosby deliver¬ 
ed this response, he proposed to Stuart to send him, with 
a party of eight men, to effect the object in view, which 
was to ascertain the position of McClellan’s advance. His 
proposition was agreed to, and the next day he reported 
to Stuart the desired information. 

Pleased with the manner in which this duty had been 
performed, General Stuart, a few days later, sent Lieuten¬ 
ant Mosby, with a small party, to ascertain the position 
of the enemy as far back as Bull Run. On this expedi¬ 
tion, Ayer, of Cherry Pectoral celebrity, and a bridge con¬ 
tractor, were captured—the first of the many thousand 
prisoners captured by Mosby. From these prisoners Stu¬ 
art learned that McClellan had collected at Alexandria a 
great fleet of transports, and that the bulk of his army 
had fallen back to that point. 

Mosby was again dispatched to the picket-line on Ce¬ 
dar Run, and while at the bridge over this stream a boy 
from the Federal army approached, as if by mistake, and 




435 


Mosbifs Early Life and Character. 

very glibly informed him that there was a large Federal 
force over the hill. But the artifice was detected, and 
the boy sent to Stuart, accompanied by a dispatch from 
Mosby, giving the opinion that the force on Cedar Bun 
was a demonstration to cover some other movement, thus 
confirming the statement which had been made by Ayer. 
After some farther observations, which tended to strength¬ 
en his impression, he, in person, reported to Stuart that 
the division of Federal troops on Cedar Bun was com¬ 
manded by General Blenker, who soon after occupied 
Warrenton Junction, Stuart in the mean time having 
fallen back to the west bank of the Bappahannock Biver. 
To remove all doubt from Stuart’s mind as to the correct¬ 
ness of his information, Mosby went on a scout to Blenk- 
er’s rear, and ascertained with certainty the isolated con¬ 
dition of his division. Possessed of information which he 
deemed so important, he swam alone the Bappahannock 
Biver, to reach without delay Stuart’s headquarters, while 
he sent the party under his command to cross at a ford 
higher up. 

Together with the information he reported, he express¬ 
ed the opinion that no operation was more feasible than 
for General Ewell, with his command of eight thousand 
infantry and Stuart’s cavalry, by a rapid and secret 
march, to pass, under cover of a wooded country, to 
Blenker’s rear, and capture or destroy his entire division. 
In this opinion Stuart, ever full of enterprise, entirely 
concurred; and why the effort was not made is one of 
the mysteries of this war. Having proved the intelli¬ 
gence, activity, and courage of Lieutenant Mosby, Stuait 
desired to employ him again as a scout, but Colonel Jones 
objected, and his adjutant was retained to make out 
monthly returns, a duty fit only for a cleik. 

. A little after this, Colonel Jones, although one of the 
most accomplished officers in the cavalry service, was dis- 


43G 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

missed from his command in virtue of one of those mili¬ 
tary elections ordained by the Confederate government, 
and returned to private life. Proud and reserved by na¬ 
ture, and educated in the ideas of West Point, Jones was 
the last man to struggle with success in a military elec¬ 
tion, for 

“He would not flatter Neptune for his trident, 

Nor Jove for his power to thunder.” 

With him was discharged Mosby, as far as any military 
engagement was concerned, but he accepted an invitation 
from Stuart to remain at his headquarters in the capac¬ 
ity of a scout. 

The battle of Seven Pines has been fought, McClellan 
is in front of Richmond, General Lee is on the Chicka- 
hominy, and Stuart’s headquarters are on the Charles 
City Road, near Richmond, when Mosby is invited by 
the latter to take breakfast with him. Stuart then in¬ 
formed him that he wished him to go to the Totapotamie 
Creek, and discover whether M‘Clellan was fortifying. 
With four companions, the scout started; but, meeting a 
flag of truce, he made a detour toward Hanover Court¬ 
house. A vague idea had been floating through his 
mind that an enterprise such as Stuart soon after under¬ 
took might be accomplished, and, before setting out, 
Mosby remarked to one of the staff officers that, before 
his return, he expected to visit McClellan’s headquarters. 
At the end of three days he returned, having gone from 
Hanover Court-house down the Pamunkey to Old Church, 
and having discovered that McClellan’s communications 
with the White House were guarded by a small cavalry 
force, and that those communications were but an exten¬ 
sion of his right flank. He reported to General Stuart; 
and as they sat on the grass together, he gave a detailed 
account of his adventures, and the reasons in favor of the 
opinion that a successful raid could be made on McClel- 


437 


Meshy's Early Life and Character. 

Ian’s communications. The general requested the scout 
to reduce his report to writing. As soon as it was done, 
Stuart carried it in a sweeping gallop to General Lee, to 
whom he unfolded the enterprise in all its parts; and 
the next day, with two thousand cavalry and four pieces 
of artillery, set forth, with Mosby for a guide, to test the 
correctness of his opinion. With the brilliant success 
which crowned this expedition you are doubtless ac¬ 
quainted, but I shall pass over its attendant circumstan¬ 
ces, as they belong rather to Stuart’s than Mosby’s his¬ 
tory. In his letter of congratulation to Stuart, General 
Lee makes complimentary mention of the gallantry dis¬ 
played on the expedition by two privates, John S. Mosby 
and Theophilus P. Clapp. 

In his first interview with Stuart after the return of 
the expedition, he was greeted by him with warmth, and 
assured that there would be no difficulty in getting him 
promotion on account of the extraordinary service he had 
rendered. But nothing came of it, and Mosby retained 
his position as scout. 

With the two armies jammed up against each other in 
so small a compass, the field of enterprise was necessarily 
circumscribed, and Mosby determined, about the time of 
the battle of Port Republic, to go to Jackson, for he 
thought he recognized in him one who would appreciate 
the value of the idea he wished to develop. This plan 
was, however, defeated by the transfer of Jackson’s army 
from the Valley to Richmond, and he again returned to 
Stuart, and was again employed in the old way. His 
first scout was with a party of three or four men to 
McClellan’s rear, from which he brought back informa¬ 
tion which enabled Stuart to attack and drive away with 
his artillery the transports which were at Harrison’s 
Landing, and had opened communications with the Fed¬ 
eral army. 


438 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Soon after, Stuart’s cavalry was moved to Atlee’s Sta¬ 
tion, on the Central Railroad, for the purpose of reorgan¬ 
ization. From that camp Mosby was sent in the direc¬ 
tion of Fredericksburg, to acquire for General Lee infor¬ 
mation about the distribution of Pope’s army, which he 
reported to be as follows: He had troops at Fredericks¬ 
burg, troops at Manassas, Warrentoh, Luray, Winchester, 
and Front Royal, and between these several points com¬ 
munications had to be maintained. With the eye of a 
soldier, Mosby beheld a splendid field of operations thus 
opened, and besought Stuart to furnish him with a detail 
of fifteen men, with whom to proceed to Fauquier, and 
enter upon a partisan career, for he argued that with 
such a nucleus he could soon recruit a large command; 
for there had been then no conscription in the region to 
which he proposed to go, and it was well supplied with 
subsistence. This request was peremptorily refused, but 
instead he was furnished with a complimentary letter to 
General Jackson, who was then near Gordonsville. With 
this letter in his pocket he set forth, but was taken pris¬ 
oner near Beaver Dam by a raiding-party commanded by 
Colonel Davies, and carried to Fredericksburg. 

Conscious that he would soon be exchanged, the pris¬ 
oner was on the alert to obtain information that would 
prove serviceable to the Confederate generals. He was 
carried to Washington, where he was confined about ten 
days, and then sent to Hampton Roads to be exchanged, 
according to the cartel which had just been arranged be¬ 
tween General Dix and General D. H. Hill. 

But, during his imprisonment at Washington, he had 
been summoned to his presence by General Po]^e, and in¬ 
terrogated in relation to the Confederate army. When 
he was introduced to General Smith, of Pope’s staff, many 
courtesies were shown him, and among them an offer was 
made to lend him money. This he promptly declined. 


439 


Mosbifs Early Life and Character. 

Then followed direct questions. But Mosby plainly told 
him that he should communicate nothing that could be 
of any service to General Pope. The Federal officer took 
the refusal in very good part, and appeared to appreciate 
the honorable motives of his captive, whom he remanded 
to prison, there to resume the study of Napoleon’s “Max¬ 
ims,” a copy of which he had brought with him. 

While he lay in the prison transport in Hampton Roads, 
Mosby was still on the scout. He did not fail to ingra¬ 
tiate himself with the captain and mate of the vessel, and 
on their return on one occasion from Fortress Monroe, 
gained from them knowledge of a fact which he deemed 
of great importance, for Burnside had arrived from the 
South, and his transports were then at anchor in the 
Roads. But to what point was Burnside bound? Would 
he re-enforce McClellan, or would he proceed up the Rap¬ 
pahannock, and, disembarking at Fredericksburg, unite 
with Pope, then on the Rapidan, in his march on Rich¬ 
mond? This was the problem which that inquisitive 
mind was engaged in solving, as he lay sweltering in the 
prison-ship “Georgia.” He boldly inquired of the cap¬ 
tain of his ship for what point Burnside was destined. 
He replied, “ Fredericksburg,” and soon after Mosby saw 
the fleet weigh anchor and enter the waters of Chesa¬ 
peake Bay. With impatience he counted the lazy hours 
till he leaped ashore at Verina, where the exchange of 
prisoners was effected. As soon as he informed Commis¬ 
sioner Ould that he had important information for Gen¬ 
eral Lee, he was allowed to proceed at once on his way. 
Weary and foot-sore, he had dropped by the road side not 
far from Richmond, when a private from Hampton’s le¬ 
gion, detailed as courier, rode past. Mosby hailed the 
soldier, who, as soon as he informed him that he had im¬ 
portant information to communicate, allowed him to ride 
his horse to army headquarters, where he was received 



440 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

by General Lee with, a kindness of manner which is ever 
characteristic of that great man. He reported to the gen¬ 
eral the information he had acquired, and was both sur¬ 
prised and confused when asked from wdiat direction he 
thought the next advance would be made. He replied, 
“Pope will coalesce with Burnside at Fredericksburg, 
and from that point advance upon Bichmond.” 

A courier was at once ordered to be in attendance, and 
a dispatch was soon sent to Jackson, for Lee had taken 
notes of the communication he had received. As Mosby 
rose to depart, he said to the general, 

“You will know better what weight to attach to my 
information when I tell you that I am one of the men 
mentioned in your general order made in connection 
with Stuart’s raid around McClellan.” 

“Oh yes,” replied the general, “I remember you well ” 
Very soon Jackson crossed the Bapidan, and engaged 
Pope at Cedar Mountain. Mosby had gone to the First 
Virginia Cavalry, then on duty at Mount Carmel Church, 
in Caroline County. As he stood on an outpost with 
Beattie, he heard Jackson’s guns. “I brought on that 
battle, at least,” said the scout. 

As soon as Jackson recrossed the Bapidan Mosby again 
set out to join him, but was met by Stuart, and went with 
him to a mountain on the Orange side of the river, which 
was used as an observatory by the Southern army. From 
that high point they saw the Federals falling back to¬ 
ward Culpepper Court-house, and very soon Stuart cross¬ 
ed the Bapidan and pressed on to the Bappahannock. 
From that time until Stuart’s raid on Catlett’s Station 
Mosby served with his cavalry, for he did not apply, as 
he had intended, for service with Jackson. 

In Jackson’s flank movement to Pope’s rear Mosby par¬ 
ticipated, and from Manassas Junction was sent by Stuart 
in the direction of Alexandria to ascertain whether re-en- 


441 


Mosh/s Early Life and Character. 

forcements were coming to Pope. With Jasper Jones 
and two others he crossed Bull Bun, and proceeded in the 
direction of Fairfax Court-house. From thence he re¬ 
turned alone to the army, for his companions had been 
sent back in charge of captures he had made on the route. 

At the second battle of Manassas he was still with Stu¬ 
art’s cavalry, doing duty in the ranks of his old regiment. 

At the battle of Sharpsburg, which occurred next in 
order, he was on the staff of Stuart, who on that occasion 
was in command of the artillery which was massed on 
Jackson’s left. 

Mosby’s horse having been disabled at the battle of 
Sharpsburg, he was compelled to return to his father’s 
home to procure another, and rejoined Stuart at Barbee’s 
Cross roads, in Fauquier County, where he was skirmish¬ 
ing with M‘Clellan’s advance, Lee being then in the act 
of falling back from the camp at Bunker Hill to the line 
of the Bappahannock. 

McClellan crossed the Bappahannock, and Lee took up 
his position on the Hazel Biver, which thus became the 
dividing line for the hostile armies. Here McClellan 
stopped, and his adversary did not know but that, under 
cover of that front, he might be sending troops to the Pen¬ 
insula. In this condition of affairs, Mosby proposed to 
Stuart to let him have a command strong enough to raid 
on McClellan’s rear, but he was refused. A scout was 
then proposed by him in search of information, and this 
being agreed to, he took with him Beattie and another, 
and crossed the Bappahannock. He reported, on his re¬ 
turn to General Lee, that no troops had been sent to the 
Peninsula, and that the Northern army was still distrib¬ 
uted around Warrenton. In addition, he had learned 
that McClellan had been superseded by Burnside. 

A few days later, with one companion, he again crossed 
into Fauquier, and made the additional discovery that 


442 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Burnside’s army was moving toward Fredericksburg, but 
this fact liad been communicated to General Stuart before 
Mosby’s return.* From tlie cavalry headquarters at War- 
renton lie was sent with nine men to ascertain the posi¬ 
tion of Siegel’s corps. By a skillful disposition of liis 
men, lie deceived the large picket at Groveton into tlie 
belief tliat Stuart’s cavalry were advancing, in consequence 
of wliicli the regiment to which it belonged fell back to¬ 
ward Centreville. 

During the progress of the battle at Fredericksburg, 
Mosby, with six men, was ordered to scout on the Little 
Biver Turnpike. At Mat Lee’s he encountered a party of 
Federals about equal in number to his own, and killed 
the sergeant in command and one private, and put the 
others to flight. From the camp at Fredericksburg he 
accompanied Stuart on an unsuccessful raid on Dumfries, 
and soon afterward on an expedition to Fairfax Station. 
When the corps reached Middleburg Mosby was left on 
detached duty, and entered upon the adventurous career 
of a Partisan Ranger. 

But my sketch would be incomplete without some ac¬ 
count of my hero’s personal characteristics. 

He is scarcely of medium height, and his frame is slight, 
indicating activity, but not strength. He weighs about 
one hundred and twenty-five pounds, and is capable of 
undergoing great fatigue. His complexion is fair, and his 
features delicate, which contribute to the extreme youth¬ 
fulness of his appearance, for the cares of his eventful ca- 

* The author was at that time in command of the picket line on 
the Upper Hazel. With a party he had crossed the river on a re- 
connoissance, and discovered that the enemy had fallen back to 
Amissville. He was informed by Mr. M—tt, an intelligent citizen, 
who had just returned from Warrenton, that Burnside was in com¬ 
mand of the Federal army, and was moving toward Fredericksburg. 
The information was at once sent to General Rosser, and through 
him reached army headquarters. The guide was a Baptist preacher. 


The Coffee Raid,—The Mount Carmel Fight. 443 


reer have left no trace oil liis countenance. His most re¬ 
markable feature is a brilliant gray eye, which indicates 
great intelligence and quick penetration. 

His deportment is quiet and unobtrusive, and he is 
rather a thinker than a talker. Yet are his powers of 
pleasing unusual, and his conversation is racy, witty, and 
entertaining. He relates an anecdote with great zest, 
and his smile is almost irresistible. His manners are not 
demonstrative, yet he is warm and tenacious in his attach¬ 
ments, and generous to a fault. Such is Mosby in pri¬ 
vate ; his public character you must gather from his ca¬ 
reer. 


CHAPTER LIII. 

THE COFFEE EAID.-THE MOUNT CAEMEL FIGHT. 

Upper Fauquier, February 27th, 1865. 

Deae Peecy, —When Major Richards was left in com¬ 
mand in “Mosby’s Confederacy,” he turned his attention 
to the lower Valley, and, with sixty men, crossed the 
Shenandoah at Myers’s Ford. Here he met Lieutenant 
Baylor, with Company “B” of the Twelfth Virginia Cav¬ 
alry, accompanied by Colonel Preston Chew, commanding 
the Horse Artillery of the Army of Northern Virginia, 
who agreed to join the Rangers in the expedition. 

Colonel Chew is one of the most distinguished artillery 
officers in the Confederate service, and is a graduate of 
the Virginia Military Institute. At the beginning of the 
war he commanded the artillery attached to Ashby’s Cav¬ 
alry, and displayed both skill and courage in Ashby’s 
numberless encounters with the invaders along the Val¬ 
ley Turnpike. The horse artillery has been distributed 
in winter quarters at various points in the interior, and 
Chew has obtained permission to spend the interval with 
Mosby’s Rangers. 




444 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Once foiled in an attempt to capture a train of cars on 
the Baltimore and Oliio Railroad, Major Richards determ¬ 
ined in the winter solstice to try his fortune again, and 
approached that great highway of travel and transporta¬ 
tion at a point two miles below Duffield Depot. The 
tracks were torn up, pickets were posted, and the com¬ 
mand lay down to sleep, but was soon aroused by the 
approach of cars from the direction of Harper’s Ferry. 
The engine was thrown down an embankment, leaving 
on the track a train of fifteen cars, laden, some of them, 
with sugar, ale, and immense quantities of coffee, not to 
speak of canned oysters, raisins, wines, and other articles 
of like kind, which had been intended for an entertain¬ 
ment to be given in Martinsburg. While the train was 
being plundered, Richards observed a light ap]3roaching 
from the direction of Duffield, which proved to be borne 
by the regular night patrol, who, without resistance, were 
captured. 

At the expiration of an hour the train was fired, and 
the command returned to Fauquier, each man carrying 
before him one or more sacks of coffee, and such other 
articles as inclination or convenience induced him to store 
away. The weather was intensely cold, and the Shenan¬ 
doah was swollen and was covered with fragments of ice, 
and many a frostbitten Ranger has good reason to remem¬ 
ber the January night when he made the Coffee Raid. 

Soon after the Coffee Raid our enterprising major start¬ 
ed with forty men from Bloomfield, to make a third 
attempt to capture the express train on the Baltimore 
and Ohio Railroad, and halted his command, about ten 
o’clock at night, near the crossing of the Winchester and 
Potomac Railroad known as Flowing Springs. With 
John Chew and another, he proceeded to ascertain an 
eligible point at which the railroad could be crossed, and, 
before his return to the command, captured two strag- 


The Coffee Raid.—The Mount Carmel Fight. 445 

glers from tlie Twelfth Pennsylvania Cavalry, which, un¬ 
der the command of Colonel Reno, was camped in the 
neighborhood. From the prisoners the information was 
obtained that the Winchester and Potomac Railroad was 
so strongly patroled that it would be almost impossible 
for Richards to cross it, and proceed to the Baltimore and 
Ohio Railroad, six miles distant, and capture a train of 
cars, without being intercepted on his return by superior 
numbers. Abandoning, for this reason, the object which 
had brought him across the mountain, he resolved upon 
the more daring enterprise of visiting Colonel Reno in his 
camp. 

One of the prisoners consented to act as guide, and 
from him the countersign for the night was obtained, and 
other useful information. Retaining fifteen men, Rich¬ 
ards sent the rest of the command home, when, follow~- 
ing the “North Star,” as the men denominated the guide, 
the Rangers started on the expedition. It was a still 
and cloudless night as they rode in among the* sleeping 
soldiers. Wiltshire and Sheppard without difficulty cap¬ 
tured the sentinel, whose post they passed, as they were 
mistaken for the returning patrol. 

There were about forty horses fastened around the 
guard-tent, which belonged to the men who had been de¬ 
tailed for patrol duty that night. These were at once 
seized, and might without difficulty have been carried off, 
but the Partisans were not satisfied with this exploit. 
They determined to give the Yankees a parting shot—to 
leave their cards for Colonel Reno, they said. So they 
rode among the tents, firing at every thing that appeared. 
But this amusement could not last long, and Richards 
was compelled to retreat amid a shower of bullets. The 
firing;, though it hurt no one, yet occasioned the loss of 
all the booty save six horses. 

The next morning Colonel Reno, it is said, addressed a 



446 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

speech to liis men, whom he censured in severe terms for 
allowing such a nocturnal visit to be paid his camp with 
impunity, and in the course of it said, “ With such men 
as Mosby’s I could go any where.” This was no idle 
boast, for Colonel Reno enjoys in the army the reputa¬ 
tion of a gallant officer, and by strict discipline and just¬ 
ice has won the good opinion of the citizens of Jefferson 
County. 

After his visit to Colonel Reno, Major Richards, with 
ten men, attempted the exploit of making a visit to Alex¬ 
andria, but, as he approached the town, was diverted 
from his purpose by a fall of snow, which would have 
enabled the enemy to track him. As he returned, he at¬ 
tacked a train of carts proceeding toward the town, 
under the escort of negroes, commanded by a white offi¬ 
cer. A light ensued, the result of which was the disper¬ 
sion of the negroes, after three of them had been wounded 
and eight taken prisoners. 

I will now give you an account of the Mount Carmel 
fight, which occurred about the middle of February. 

Spotts, a deserter from the Eleventh Virginia Cavalry, 
had been instrumental in the capture, at their homes, of 
about thirty officers and men belonging to the brigade 
of which he had been a member. Emboldened by suc¬ 
cess, the deserter had crossed the mountain into Fauquier, 
to collect information which would lead to farther cap¬ 
tures. At Simpers’s Mill, which is situated in a gorge of 
the Blue Ridge, on the mountain-track which leads from 
Paris to Markham, the spy stopped to have his horse shod, 
and learned from several of his old acquaintances, who 
had not yet heard of his desertion, the presence in the 
neighborhood of Colonel White and also of several mem¬ 
bers of the Partisan Battalion. From Simpers’s Mill, 
Sj>otts, habited like a Confederate soldier, proceeded to the 
neighborhood of Upperville, where he was informed that 


The Coffee Raid.—The Mount Carmel Fight. 447 

Major Richards was at home. From this place he re¬ 
crossed the mountain, and reported his discoveries at the 
headquarters of Tibberts’s cavalry brigade. In conse¬ 
quence, with Spotts for a guide, a raiding-party of one 
hundred and twenty-five men from the 1st New York Cav¬ 
alry and an equal number from the 14th Pennsylvania was 
dispatched to Fauquier, under command of Major Gibson, 
of the latter regiment, who was accompanied by several of 
General Merritt’s staff officers. Major Gibson forded the 
Shenandoah at Sheppard’s Mill and proceeded to Paris, 
where he arrived at midnight. Here he divided his com¬ 
mand ; the New Yorkers he sent to Upperville, with or¬ 
ders there to remain until he joined them, while with the 
Pennsylvanians he went toward Markham by the road 
which passes Simpers’s Mill. 

As soon as the detachment arrived at Upper ville, a 
party was dispatched to capture Major Richards, at the 
residence of his father, and Captain Robert Walker, who 
was understood to be with him. The house was sur¬ 
rounded and closely searched, but the two officers, togeth¬ 
er with John Hipkins, had been successfully concealed, 
by means of a trap-door, which had been constructed in 
view of such an emergency. Satisfied that Richards and 
his comrade had received notification of their approach, 
the nocturnal visitors returned to their command, which, 
during their absence, had been likewise active in sealch- 
m g for soldiers.* They had captured seveial, but, what 
was of far more importance, had discovered seveial bar¬ 
rels of apple brandy, on which almost the entile command 
had gotten drunk. For this reason, instead of waiting 
for Major Gibson, the detachment was marched across the 
Shenandoah and back to their camp, followed by Major 
Richards, with a small party, as far as the river. 

We will now follow Major Gibson, who, before his re¬ 
turn to the river, fell in with something much less agree- 


448 


Partisan Life with Moshy. 

able than a barrel of apple brandy. Arrived at Simpers’s 
Mill, he was disappointed in not finding Colonel White, 
as the deserter had reported, but succeeded in capturing 
his adjutant and Jerry Wilson, of Mosby’s Battalion. 
The raiding-party, after visiting Markham, marched to 
Upperville, as had been agreed upon, and on the route 
made prisoner Mosby’s fighting quartermaster. 

Jerry Wilson was in the depths of despair, for his mar¬ 
riage was to have been consummated the next day, until 
he cast up his eyes and beheld Slice Barbour’s Jim Banks 
horse, which, like Jerry, had been picked up on the march. 
Hope at once revived in the breast of the despondent 
bridegroom; for, said he, “ if I can only induce this rascal 
of a guard to let me mount Slice Barbour’s horse, my es¬ 
cape, as we cross the mountain, is almost certain.” So 
Jerry put on his blandest smile, and obtained from his 
guard permission to exchange the cob he was riding for 
the celebrated steed of his friend and neighbor. 

On the return march, when the Federal column reach¬ 
ed Paris, Major Gibson was besieged by the tears and en¬ 
treaties of the mountain beauty to whom Jerry Wilson 
was betrothed. But he turned a deaf ear to them, and 
Jerry, mounted on the Jim Banks horse, with a cocked 
pistol at his ear, accompanied the Federal column, reflect¬ 
ing on the vicissitudes to which true love is ever exposed. 

Lieutenant Wren, who has a touch of the bloodhound 
about him, with a small party, had followed Major Gib¬ 
son on his circuitous route, harassing his march at every 
step, and by the time he returned to Paris had collected 
as many as thirty men. At this place he was joined by 
Major Bichards, who was welcomed with huzzas by the 
men. They demanded to be led without delay against 
the enemy’s rear-guard, which was about equal in number 
to themselves. But Bicliards, rising in his saddle, proud¬ 
ly told them that he meant to attack the column. Leav- 


The Coffee Raid.—The Mount Carmel Fight. 449 

ing a man in Paris to send to the front the Rangers as 
fast as they arrived at that place, he formed his command 
into column and swiftly followed the track of the enemy, 
who could yet be seen slowly proceeding up the mount¬ 
ain toward Ashby’s Gap. When he reached the toll- 
gate the rear-guard was visible at the next bend of the 
road, about one hundred yards in advance, but the main 
body was concealed from view. 

On either side of the turnpike at this point the Blue 
Ridge lifts its towering heights, and, together with the 
serpentine course of the road, prevented the enemy from 
discovering the strength of their pursuers, and at the 
same time prevented them from making use of their own 
superiority in numbers. Here Richards resolved to make 
the fight, and gave the order to charge. The enemy’s 
rear-guard faced about, fired an ineffectual volley from 
their carbines, and then turned to retreat. The Confed¬ 
erates, however, continued the charge until the rear-guard 
was driven into the column, which had just begun to 
form in an open space in front of Mount Carmel Church, 
which stands at the junction of the turnpike with the 
road leading to Sheppard’s Mill. 

They fiercely assaulted the Federals with revolvers at 
close range, who replied with the carbines. But the su¬ 
periority of the revolver, as in the case with Captain 
Blazer, was soon evident. As the Partisans mingled with 
the enemy, the latter began to retire toward Sheppard’s 
Mill, at first slowly, then more rapidly—a walk, a trot, 
a gallop, and then a headlong flight. The road appears 
to have been dug out of the mountain, is narrow, rough, 
and hilly, and is crossed at short intervals by streams of 
water that gush from the mountain side. Not more than 
two men could ride abreast—a fact which greatly pro¬ 
tected the retreat of the enemy. 

While the pursuit was in progress, Major Richards 

F f » 





450 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 

observed a Federal soldier endeavoring to protect bis 
comrades by firing back on the pursuers. He turned to 
Jack Robinson, of tbe 6th Virginia, and inquired if be 
could not slioot that man. Syd Ferguson, wbo was im¬ 
mediately behind Robinson, gave Fashion tbe spur, and 
at one bound placed himself next to tbe enemy. 

“ Which one did you say, major?” 

“ The man on the dun horse,” Richards replied. 

Ferguson at once dashed forward, but succeeded only 
in capturing Lieutenant Baker, of General Merritt’s staff, 
for the man on the dun horse, who was Spotts, hearing 
himself singled out, soon made off, and was lost among 
the fugitives. 

The Rangers had been compelled from time to time to 
stop in order to prevent their prisoners from escaping to 
the mountain. In consequence, Major Richards, after the 
chase had continued for four miles, found himself entirely 
alone. He had captured a sergeant and a private, whom 
he left under a promise to remain where they were until 
his return. But, as he rode off, he perceived that they 
had broken their compact, for, again mounted, they were 
preparing to strike into the woods. Richards returned, 
and would have killed them for their breach of faith but 
for the appearance of Jim Wiltshire and a comrade. The 
prisoners were turned over to the custody of the latter, 
and Richards and Wiltshire continued the pursuit. Wilt¬ 
shire stipulated that he should have the next chance, and 
was soon gratified. Approaching the river, they came 
again in sight of the enemy. The Ranger singled out his 
man, and, starting his horse at full speed, shot him dead 
at the distance of a few paces, for Wiltshire always pre¬ 
fers short range. 

I will in this connection describe with particularity 
the process of “ going through” a Yankee. 

Several prisoners were captured on the river bank, 


The Coffee Raid.—The Mount Carmel Fight. 451 

and several, in the act of crossing, were ordered by Wilt¬ 
shire to return, which they did without hesitation. His 
first act was to demand their greenbacks, his second to 
demand their pistols. 

“ How much money have you ?” said he to one of the 
captives. 

“ Twenty-five dollars,” responded the Yankee, in dolor¬ 
ous tones. 

“ Good,” said Jim; “ my friend, it is the very sum I 
stand in need of,” and the Ranger smiled con^lacently 
at his prisoner, for this is one of the amenities of war 
which Wiltshire always practices when he gets hold of a 
fat Yankee. 

During this dialogue and transfer of property, the ene¬ 
my from the opposite bank kept up a brisk fire at the 
Ranger, but he was so deeply engaged in counting his 
money that he did not so much as raise his eyes as the 
balls whistled about him. The prisoners were turned 
over to a member of the command who had just come up, 
and Richards and Wiltshire, again hunting in couples, 
crossed the river, and captured a number of horses that 
had been abandoned by their riders. With this booty 
they returned to Mount Carmel Church. 

The results of the fight were thirteen of the enemy 
killed, and about an equal number wounded, sixty-four 
- taken prisoners, and ninety horses captured. Among the 
prisoners was a wounded captain, who had commanded 
the Federal rear-guard. He was a parson by trade, and 
his arm had been shattered. Richards released him from 
captivity that he might return to his friends, but he did 
not get farther than Berry’s Ferry, where he died. The 
only loss which Major Richards sustained was Iden, of 
Lee’s army, who was accidentally shot, and Dr. Sowers, 
who was wounded in the beginning of the fight. This 
gallant fight was complimented by General Lee in a dis¬ 
patch to the Department. 


452 




Partisan Life with Mosby. 

Major Gibson bad gathered on bis raid about fifteen 
prisoners and twenty horses, which, having been recover¬ 
ed, ought to be credited to Major Richards. 

But you will be curious to know how it fared with 
Jerry Wilson and the Jim Banks horse amid the hurly- 
burly. As soon as the fight at Mount Carmel began, 
Jerry at once looked out for a chance to make a break, 
but the Yankee who had him in charge cocked his pis¬ 
tol, and compelled the captive reluctantly to move for¬ 
ward in the direction of Sheppard’s Mill, determined, let 
the fight go as it might, to carry him off. Presently the 
rout began, and off Jerry and his Yankee started. At 
first Jerry thought to outrun him on the Jim Banks 
horse, but the Yankee rather had the foot of him. Jerry 
then determined again to have recourse to stratagem; so, 
when the guard was looking another w r ay, he broke oft" 
to the right hand'in the mountain, but closely followed 
by his inevitable Yankee. The fugitive soon found his 
course up the mountain side barred by a frowning ledge 
of rocks, which he could not flank, and with a sad heart 
abandoned his horse and continued his flight on foot, and 
without looking behind him, expecting every moment to 
be shot through the head by his villainous guard. He 
scrambled up the ledge, and was about to conceal him¬ 
self under one of its projecting eaves, when he heard the 
sound of the pursuer on his tracks. Off he again start¬ 
ed, and continued his flight unti\he reached a clearing 
on the top of the mountain, where, exhausted, the luck¬ 
less bridegroom sank upon the ground, unable to proceed 
farther. But great was Jerry’s astonishment and delight 
when, instead of the horrid Yankee with a cocked pistol 
in his hand, he saw his faithful companion, the Jim Banks 
horse, gallop irp. In another moment he mounted on his 
steed, and was making his way with the unerring sagaci¬ 
ty of a lover along the mountain to Simpers’s Mill, near 
which dwelt his dark-eyed beauty. 


The Gantt House and Harmony Fights. 


453 


CHAPTER LIV. 

THE GANTT HOUSE AND HARMONY FIGHTS. 

Upper Fauquier, March 25th, 1865. 

Dear Percy, —Early in March Major Richards direct¬ 
ed Jim Wiltshire to take fourteen men and proceed to 
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and ascertain whether 
re-enforcements were coming from the West to General 
Grant. After crossing the river, Wiltshire sent three 
men on a scout to Charlestown, with orders to report the 
condition of affairs at that place to him at a designated 
house. Gallagher and Anderson obtained permission to 
stop by the wayside to get supper, and as they approach¬ 
ed the rendezvous, Anderson, who was riding alone, was 
met by two men of the Twelfth Pennsylvania, whom he 
mistook for friends. But he was soon undeceived, for the 
Federals, with presented pistols, demanded his surrender. 
In the surrender Anderson reserved one of his pistols, by 
the aid of which he subsequently made his escape. As 
he dashed off from his captors, the shots which they fired 
at him brought Wiltshire and his party to the spot. One 
of the Yankees got off, but the other was repeatedly shot 
and killed, while attempting to climb over a garden fence. 
The dead body was then thrown across a horse and con¬ 
veyed to the main road, for it would have compromised 
the safety of the citizen had the corpse been discovered 
in his garden the next morning. 

Arrived at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Wilt¬ 
shire’s first act was to throw off a train of cars, and then 
to obtain from a citizen the military information of which 
he was in search. On his return, he reported to his com¬ 
manding officer that sixteen thousand of Thomas’s army 



454 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

liad moved eastward to join Grant. It was well for tlie 
Valley Scout, as Wiltshire is sometimes called, that he did 
not cross at Keys’s Ford, which was directly in his route, 
hut instead went higher up, for two companies of the 
Twelfth Pennsylvania had been sent out to waylay him 
at the river. One was placed in ambuscade at Keys’s 
Ford, while the other was directed to strike the river at 
a point higher up, and charge any troops it might encoun¬ 
ter. This last order produced a collision between the 
two companies, in which one man was killed. The un¬ 
fortunate Twelfth! 

Soon after this Colonel Mosby returned to his command, 
having entirely recovered from his wound. One of his 
first acts was to fill the vacancy caused in Company C by 
the promotion of Captain William H. Chapman to the 
rank of lieutenant colonel. For this post he designed 
Lieutenant George Baylor, of the Sixth Virginia Cavalry, 
and, to facilitate his transfer, furnished him with a letter 
of recommendation to the Secretary of War. But the sec¬ 
retary thought that the appointment would be illegal, and 
Baylor returned to report the failure of his application to 
Mosby, who, determined not to be foiled, told that gallant 
young officer that he should be captain of Company H, 
soon to be organized. 

Lieutenant Frank Carter, with Bush Underwood for a 
guide, and twenty-two men, was sent to Fairfax in search 
of Yankees. He took up a position on the road leading 
from the Court-house to Vienna, about one mile from the 
former place, and about an equal distance from a block¬ 
house in the direction of Vienna, which was garrisoned 
by several companies of infantry. About midday the 
patrol approached from the block-house, and was charged 
by Carter’s men in silence. The Yankees halted, gazed 
at the advancing cavalry for a minute, and then broke and 
fled with precipitation, pursued by the Rangers. 


455 


The Gantt House and Harmony Fights. 

Busli Underwood was mounted on the best horse in 
the command, and well did he use his advantage, for be¬ 
fore the fugitives could reach the shelter of the block¬ 
house he had killed three and wounded two of them. In 
addition, the Federals lost three prisoners and six horses. 

I will now pass to the fight at Gantt’s house, or a piece 
of Captain Glasscock’s handiwork. 



CAPTAIN GLASSCOCK. 


With thirty-six men he took up a concealed position 
near the Vienna and Luenville road, not far from the point 
where it crosses the Alexandria and Leesburg Turnpike. 
At the point of junction of the two roads was a block¬ 
house garrisoned by infantry, a string of block-houses be¬ 
ing a precaution to which Mosby has compelled the Fed¬ 
erals to resort, in addition to employing other defenses. 
After a while a patrol of twenty-two men, commanded by 
a lieutenant, and accompanied by a lieutenant colonel and 
a surgeon, passed Glasscock’s position, going toward \ ien- 




456 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

na. Bush Underwood, with fourteen men, had been sta¬ 
tioned under cover of a hill to attack them in rear, while 
Glasscock, with the rest of the command, would charge 
them in front, and, the road being inclosed on either side 
by a high fence, by this disposition the patrol would be 
placed in considerable danger. As soon as Underwood 
heard the signal shots he dashed forward, and met the 
Federals, who had been surprised and driven back by 
Glasscock. The pursuit was j^ressed with vigor until the 
entire party was killed or captured, with the exception of 
two officers, one the lieutenant colonel, whose line Irish 
hunter overleaped the fences and bore off his rider in 
safety. Glasscock’s loss was Yates, of Rappahannock, 
shot in the melee by one of his comrades, and O’Brien, 
of Fairfax, wounded in the leg. The man who shot 
O’Brien was killed by Moss, and it is worthy of mention 
that the soldier who wounded Mosby at Centreville was 
killed in this fight. John Hipkins, better known as “ Glo¬ 
rious John,” distinguished himself on this occasion. 

Next in order comes the Harmony fight, so called from 
Harmony Church, near which it took place. 

Mosby had ordered a detail of men to be sent to Lou¬ 
doun for the purpose of collecting corn for distribution 
among the command, who, during this service, were quar¬ 
tered among the Quakers. They were ordered to assem¬ 
ble every day at Hamilton, and were immediately dis¬ 
banded by Captain Glasscock if no business demanded 
attention. 

On the 20th of March, John Chew, with three men, was 
directed to proceed to Hillsboro and collect information, 
and after the usual number of chicken-fights and dog¬ 
fights, at which Bob Ridley presided as ring-master, the 
men were dismissed to their respective boarding-houses. 

As Chew entered Hillsboro he was notified by a lady 
that a Federal command was in the other end of the town, 


The Gantt House and Harmony Fights. 457 

which turned out to be Byrd’s regiment 6f infantry and 
the 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry, re-enforced by the Lou¬ 
doun Bangers, all under command of Colonel Bives. 

After being fired upon the scouts retreated, but, re-en¬ 
forced by fourteen of their comrades, and ignorant of the 
strength of the Federals, returned and skirmished with 
their advance-guard almost to Purcellville. 

In the mean time, Captain Glasscock, having collected a 
command of one hundred and twenty men, was ordered 
by Mosby to take a position a mile beyond Hamilton, 
through which the Federals would pass going toward 
Leesburg. A picket which had been thrown out retreated 
before Colonel Beno’s cavalry past Glasscock’s position, 
who had been ordered by Mosby to fall back deeper in the 
woods, that he might not be discovered, and thus would 
be able to attack the Federals in rear. This order was be¬ 
ing executed when the enemy came in sight, and the rear 
of Glasscock’s column, not understanding the movement, 
was thrown into disorder. Fearing the effect upon his 
men of appearing to retreat in the face of the enemy, 
Glasscock determined to countermarch, and charge back 
on the Federal cavalry. This was done in the most gal¬ 
lant style, and the Yankees, thrown into confusion by the 
unexpected onset, retreated toward their infantry, still at 
Hamilton. When the Bangers had gone several hund¬ 
red yards in pursuit, they were stopped by Mosby, who 
had discovered the overwhelming odds in reserve—all 
but twenty-five, who followed the cavalry close to their 
infantry supports. 

John Chew, with reckless gallantry, pressed on toward 
the village, and received a disabling shot, whether from 
friend or foe is not known. 

Glasscock’s loss in this engagement was Keith and Bin- 
ford killed, Chew disabled, and Griffin slightly wounded. 
The enemy’s loss was ten prisoners, and, according to the 



458 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

report of citizens, fifteen or twenty killed, and as many 
wounded. 

For this figkt Colonel Reno w r as made a brigadier 
general. From Hamilton the Yankees marched toward 
Upperville, one of Mosby’s depots for grain, but they 
were pressed so closely that they did not succeed in get¬ 
ting any of it. On this skirmishing march Johnny Fos¬ 
ter received a severe wound in the knee, but was brought 
off the field by Hefilebower, who mounted him on his 
own horse. 









Gallant Action of a Yankee Lieutenant. 


459 


CHAPTER LV. 

GALLANT ACTION OF A YANKEE LIEUTENANT.-CHAPMAN^ 

VISIT TO THE NORTHERN NECK. 

Upper Fauquier, April 18th, 1865. 

Dear Percy,— Richmond has fallen, the cause is lost, 
and Mosby, in the hour of victory, is negotiating for the 
disbandment of the Partisan Battalion. The sun which 
rose in such brightness, rode in such splendor through 
the sky, is, in the inscrutable providence of God, destined, 
like the transient meteor, to be extinguished forever. 

“ Those golden palaces, those golden halls 
With furniture superfluously fair; 

Those stately courts, those high encountering walls, 
Evanish all like vapors in the air.” 

In the midst of my preparations for departure, and 
with a sorrowful heart, I will complete my account of 
the military operations of the command with which I 
have been connected, some of which occurred after the 
evacuation of Richmond, but before that event was known 
in the Upper Piedmont. The people of other portions 
of the Southern Confederacy may have been prepared for 
the catastrophe by the gradual stages of decline which 
they witnessed, but here, amid a continual round of suc¬ 
cesses, they saw the Confederated banner waving tri¬ 
umphantly. Hope was in every eye, confidence was on 
every lip, and when the catastrophe was announced it 
came with the suddenness and violence of an earthquake. 
Now all is doubt and dismay. Every countenance re¬ 
flects the calamity which has befallen the country. 

As Charles B. Wiltshire about the first of April was 
returning from Leesburg, he was met by Colonel Mosby, 



460 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

who apprised him of his intention of making him a lieu¬ 
tenant in Company “ H ,” and at the same time ordered 
him to take a party and make a scout to Stevenson’s De¬ 
pot, on the Winchester and Potomac Railroad. With a 
few men, Wiltshire was approaching through a lane 
which leads from Berryville, the residence of Colonel 
Daniel Bonham, as a Federal officer, who proved to he 
Lieutenant Eugene Ferris, of the 30th Massachusetts In¬ 
fantry, was seen to pass rapidly from the house to the 
stable, which was situated in a corner of the yard. Wilt¬ 
shire and Gill, who were riding fifty paces in advance of 
their comrades, passing through the gate which admitted 
them to the yard, dashed up to the stable-door in which 
Ferris was standing. Without drawing his pistol from 
the holster,Wiltshire demanded a surrender. “Never 
with life,” replied Ferris; and, as his adversary was at¬ 
tempting to disengage his pistol, he inflicted on him a 
mortal wound in the neck. A little after, Gill, who was 
somewhat to Wiltshire’s left, fired, but Ferris, being pro¬ 
tected by the door post, was not struck, and at once fired 
on Gill, and inflicted upon him a disabling wound. By 
this time the rest of the party had arrived on the scene 
of combat, and opened a rapid fire on the Federal officer, 
who, disdaining to fight from a cover, stepped into the 
open space in front of the stable, and engaged in what 
appeared to be a hopeless contest. But it was hopeless 
only in appearance, for, begirt with pistols, he was a skill¬ 
ful shot, and had the additional advantage of being on 
foot, so that almost all his balls took effect. Soon the 
gallant officer was master of the field. It was death to 
stand before that unerring pistol. Orrick and Bartlett 
Bolling had both been wounded, and Orrick, in addition, 
had been thrown from his horse. Seizing Wiltshire’s 
horse, which he found at the gate, Ferris directed his or¬ 
derly, who, crouched in the stable, had taken no part in 


461 


Gallant Action of a Yankee Lieutenant. 

the conflict, to mount and follow him, but, before taking 
his departure, he advanced some paces toward his adver¬ 
saries, who had retreated back to the lane, and fired at 
them two parting shots. He then sprang into his sad¬ 
dle, and turned his face toward his camp. Two of the 
Rangers, one wounded, who were waiting until he mount¬ 
ed his horse, started in pursuit. A running fight.was 
kept up until Lieutenant Ferris (for his orderly w^as cap¬ 
tured in the pursuit) passed the Federal picket-post, but 
not until he had received a slight wound. When the 
facts of this encounter were related to Grogan, he re¬ 
marked that the lieutenant ought to be invited to join 
the battalion. When they were related to Mosby, he 
said, “ Why, he is as brave as Grogan.”* 

After the encounter was over, Gill attempted, notwith¬ 
standing his wound, to return to his friends at Middle- 
burg, but was compelled to stop at the house of a citizen 
in the Blue Ridge, where in a few days he died. He re¬ 
ceived the announcement of his approaching end with 
calmness, and said, 

“ I die at least in a good cause ” 

George Murray Gill was from Baltimore, and son of 
the distinguished gentleman of that name, and at the 
time of his death had just entered his twenty-fourth year. 
He was graduated at Princeton College, where he exhib¬ 
ited unusual talent for public speaking, a fine omen of 
success in the profession of law, to which he had devoted 
his talents and energy. Moved by the spirit of chivalry 
which animated so many of the young gentlemen of 
Maryland, he crossed the Potomac, and at an early period 

* There are many different accounts of this fight, and I have 
taken great pains to ascertain the truth. Colonel Bonham is a 
witness of unimpeachable veracity, besides being a gentleman of 
decided Southern principles. He witnessed the whole affair, and 
his account I have adopted. 


462 


Partisan Life ivith Mosby. 

of the war enlisted in the Southern army, and served first 
in the infantry, then in the cavalry arm of the service. 
He participated in many of the great battles, and was 
every where conspicuous for the highest qualities of a 
soldier. The day after the second battle of Manassas, 
he received in a skirmish on the Little River Turnpike 
a severe wound, which compelled him to absent himself 
from the army until the middle of November. From 
that time till after the disaster at Gettysburg he was con¬ 
stantly with Stuart’s cavalry, but was taken prisoner at 
Hagerstown on the retreat of Lee’s army. He spent five 
dreary months in prison, first at Fort Delaware, then at 
Point Lookout. At the end of this time he was sent to 
Richmond, and soon after rejoined his regiment, from 
which he was transferred to the Partisan Battalion. The 
elements in him were finely blended, for manly courage 
was united to intelligence, a high morality, and great 
gentleness of disposition. 

On the 5th of April, Company “ H” was organized at 
North Fork Church, in Loudoun County. At the last 
of Mosby’s elections, George Baylor was made Captain; 
Edward Thompson, First Lieutenant; James Wiltshire, 
Second Lieutenant; and Franklin Carter, Junior Second 
Lieutenant. 

George Baylor is a native of Jefferson County, Vir¬ 
ginia, and served the first year of the war in the ranks 
of the Stonewall Brigade, from which he was transferred 
to the 12th Virginia Cavalry, a component of Ashby’s 
brigade, and was soon made lieutenant. While on de¬ 
tached service he captured a company of cavalry, and 
performed other exploits, which induced Mosby to ten¬ 
der him the captaincy of this new company. 

Lieutenant Thompson was born in Fairfax County, 
and had recommended himself to promotion by valuable 
service in the battalion. 


463 


Gallant Action of a Yankee Lieutenant. 

Lieutenant Wiltshire is from Jefferson, and lias long 
ago introduced himself to your acquaintance. 

Lieutenant Carter is from Loudoun, and, though only 
nineteen years of age, is a veteran in the battalion. His 
promotion by Mosby is a sufficient testimony to his 
merit. 

As soon as the company was organized, Captain Bay* 



CAPTAIN BAYLOR. 


lor started with fifty men to the Valley. When he ar¬ 
rived at Charlestown, he was informed that the enemy’s 
cavalry had gone up the Valley, with the exception of 
the Loudoun Bangers, who were camped near Halltown. 
“ Now for the Loudoun Bangers,” said Baylor, as at the 
head of his command he galloped off in the direction of 
their camp, which was situated on the southern slope of 
a hill. He took the precaution to pass in between Hall- 
town (where there was a brigade of infantry) and the 
camp. When within fifty yards of the Loudoun Bangers 






464 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

tlie order to charge was given. Two of them were kill¬ 
ed, four wounded, sixty-five taken prisoners, together with 
eighty-one horses, with their equipments. The rest of 
the command sought refuge in the bushes. The only 
loss which Baylor sustained was Frank Helm, of War- 
renton, wounded as he charged among the foremost into 
the camp. 

When Major General Hancock, so distinguished in the 
Federal army, heard of Baylor’s exploit, he laughed heart¬ 
ily, and exclaimed, 

“ Well, that is the last of the Loudoun Bangers.” 

The expedition from the Northern Neck has recently 
returned, and I will give you the facts which I have ob¬ 
tained with reference to its sojourn in that district. 

The Northern Neck constituted a part of the crown 
grant to Lord Fairfax, which still forms the basis of all 
the land-titles in that part of the state. As defined in 
this Fairfax Charter, it embraced the great breadth of 
land between the Potomac and the Bappahannock Biv- 
ers, from their head springs to their outlets. But now 
the name is used in a more restricted sense, and is ap¬ 
plied to a narrow strip of land extending for seventy-five 
miles between those rivers below tide-water. 

Colonel Chapman quartered his men among the citi¬ 
zens of Westmoreland, Lancaster, and Bichmond Coun¬ 
ties, by whom they were received with hospitality, and 
the Partisans led a pleasant and easy life until about the 
first of March. 

About this time a force under Colonel Sumner was 
dispatched from Grant’s army to capture seventy-five 
thousand boxes of tobacco which the Confederate gov¬ 
ernment had deposited at Fredericksburg to be exchanged 
with the Yankees for bacon. After this service was per¬ 
formed, and the tobacco carried off or destroyed, the ex¬ 
pedition sailed for Fortress Monroe, from whence, with 


465 


Gallant Action of a Yankee Lieutenant. 

ten days’ rations, it proceeded up the Potomac, and land¬ 
ed at Kinsale, in Westmoreland County, a force of in¬ 
fantry and two hundred and fifty cavalry. It is stated 
that the object ot the expeditionary force was to ravage 
the Northern Neck, and compel Mosby’s men to find 
refuge elsewhere. 

The morning after they landed the Federal cavalry 
advanced toward the Hague, a few miles distant, but 
were met on the march by so determined a resistance 
from small parties of Rangers that they deemed it pru¬ 
dent to return to their infantry supports. In the retreat, 
Captain Sam Chapman, with a party, assaulted their rear, 
and received a painful wound in the side, which was the 
only injury sustained by the Partisans. 

Wat Bowie, of Westmoreland, was among the first to 
resist the invaders, for soon after the Federal cavalry be¬ 
gan their march from Kinsale he collected a band of four 
or five men, and drove the advance-guard back on the 
column, killing and wounding several of their number. 
Such is the spirit which Mosby has infused into his men, 
and so obedient are they to his standing order, “ Fight 
the Yankees wherever you meet them.” 

In retaliation for this act a wicked deed was perpe¬ 
trated. The cottage of a helpless widow and an only 
daughter, which stood near the road, was burned to the 
ground. It was a pitiable spectacle to behold these 
houseless women, utterly forlorn, sitting by the blacken¬ 
ed ruins of what had been their humble dwelling. This 
act of vengeance was without any show of justification or 
excuse, for the women were too poor to give aid and com¬ 
fort to a soldier, and had been much frightened by the 
attack which Bowie had made upon the Federal column. 

But for the fact that his men were scattered over a 
large area, Colonel Chapman was confident that the Fed¬ 
eral cavalry would not have returned to their camp ex- 

Gg 


466 



Partisan Life with Mosby. 

cept as fugitives. He believed and lioped that tlie ex¬ 
periment would be repeated the next day, by which time 
his command could be assembled. But he was disap¬ 
pointed, for the invading force embarked on their trans¬ 
ports and crossed to Point Lookout. 

The resistance which this force met with from Colonel 
Chapman saved the Northern Neck. As soon as this 


cloud of war had passed away, the Partisans again be¬ 
stowed their whole thoughts on the social scenes by 
which they were surrounded. 

About ten days after the events which have been just 
detailed, Captain Tom Richards, with seven men, paid a 
nocturnal visit to Williamsburg, the seat of government 
during the colonial existence of Virginia, and the resi- 


LIEUTENANT COLONEL CHAPMAN. 




Gallant Action of a Yankee Lieutenant 467 

dence of all her royal governors. In order to reach the 
town, he was compelled to travel one hundred and twen¬ 
ty-five miles, and ferry three rivers, one of which was 
three miles in width. From a scout whom he met in 
the vicinity ot Williamsburg he learned that there was 
in and about the town a force of three hundred men, and 
that the approach to it was guarded by a chain of picket- 
posts. 

Lieutenant Puryear and Charlie Vest were sent a 
hundred yards in advance, with orders to capture the 
picket, if possible, without firing a shot. It was the hour 
of midnight, and not a cloud obscured the face of the 
heavens. The moon rode in her zenith, and bathed the 
landscape in floods of tender light. There was nothing 
to interrupt the quietude of the scene save the cautious 
movement of the Rangers. Presently the challenge of 
the sentinel rang out clear and sharp, 

“ Halt!” 

“ All right,” replied Puryear, moving on. 

“ Halt!” repeated the sentinel, in a sterner voice. 

“We are#all right,” said Puryear. 

u Halt, or Til shoot,” shouted the man. 

“ Don’t shoot. I tell you we are all right.” 

At this stage of the dialogue Puryear and Vest closed 
upon the soldier, who attempted to escape, but was shot 
dead. The order to charge was given, and right gallant¬ 
ly did the Partisans dash in among the startled garrison, 
who began to retreat through the town toward the fort 
not far distant. A Federal officer rushed into the street 
and attempted to rally his men, but in vain. The con¬ 
flict with the rear of the retreating enemy was brief, but 
sharp. In a short time almost all the horses of Rich¬ 
ards’s command were wounded, while five Federal sol¬ 
diers lay dead in the streets, and from six to ten wound¬ 
ed. Soon not a moving Yankee was to be seen in Wil- 


468 


Partisan Life with Mosby . 

liamsburg. They had all retreated to the fort or within 
the walls of the burned college. The Partisans soon col¬ 
lected all the horses within reach, and, giving three cheers 
for the garrison of Williamsburg, left the scene of their 
bold exploit. 

The next day a party of the enemy pursued them up 
the New Kent Road, but it would have taken a wild 
duck or a kingfisher to have caught Tom Richards. 



CAPTAIN EICnAKDS. 


On the 29th of March, John W. M‘Cue, with five other 
Rangers, was sent across the Potomac to ascertain the 
force of the enemy at Leonardstown. After performing 
that duty, M‘Cue and two of his comrades made an effort 
to get possession of the post-office at a place called Croom, 
which was defended by four government detectives and 
the postmaster, all armed. His comrades, when fired 
upon, fled, leaving M‘Cue to fight the battle alone. In 


469 


Gallant Action of a Yankee Lieutenant. 

tlie rencounter which ensued, Coffun, the postmaster, was 
struck in the shoulder, and Ryon, one of the detectives, 
was mortally wounded in a hand-to-hand tight in the 
dark. The other detectives rushed upon and overpow¬ 
ered M‘Cue. His hands were at once tied behind him, 
.and he w T as put for the night under guard in the room 
with the men he had wounded. Lying upon his pallet, 
he saw on the mantle-piece a small seven-shooter, which 
suggested to him the idea of escape.- He attempted to 
slip his hands from the rope, but found it was too tight¬ 
ly drawn. Then, by a powerful effort, he attempted to 
burst it, but in vain, and the guard, detecting his object, 
threw him back on the pallet, and drew the ropes more 
tightly than before. About four o’clock in the morning, 
Ryon, in the prospect of death, and in the presence of his 
wife and others, requested to have M‘Cue brought to his 
bedside, when he addressed the prisoner with these 
words: 

“ Sir, you have but done your duty. I don’t blame 
you. You were in Confederate uniform, and fought me 
bravely and well. I hope you will be treated as a pris¬ 
oner of war.” 

The next morning IVTCue’s captors, or rather those into 
whose hands he had been delivered, sent for a rope, and 
threatened with it to hang the Ranger unless he told the 
names of his confederates, for they suspected that citizens 
of Maryland were implicated in the act. But the young 
soldier stood firm. He said that his attack on the post- 
office was a legitimate act of war, and that, it they took 
his life, Mosby, who was across the river, would hang 
several Union soldiers or citizens in retaliation. This 
brought the Federals to the conclusion that it would be 
expedient to deal with the prisoner in another mode, and 
from Croom he w^as sent to Annapolis.* 


* See Appendix. 


470 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 


CHAPTER LVI. 

THE LAST REVIEW. 

Upper Fauquier, April 22d, 1865. 

Deae Pekcy, —The deed is accomplished. I give you 
to-day the last act in this eventful history. 

The Wednesday after the surrender of General Lee, 
Major General Hancock, whose headquarters were at 
Winchester, sent Major Moon, of General Torbert’s staff, 
to communicate under a flag of truce with Colonel Mos¬ 
by. The official papers were deposited by the interme¬ 
diary in the hands of Mr. J. H. Clarke, at Millwood, by 
whom they were forwarded to Colonel Mosby. These 
papers contained a proposition for the surrender of the 
Partisan Battalion on the terms which had been accepted 
by General Lee, and were accompanied by an address 
from General Hancock to the citizens residing in the vi¬ 
cinity of his lines. The circular contained, among other 
particulars, an offer of the parole to all stragglers and 
detachments from the Army of Northern Virginia, but 
excluded from that benefit the “ guerrilla chief Mosby,” 
as our commander was denominated. It will doubtless 
strike you, as an Englishman, with surprise that Major 
General Hancock should have been directed by the au¬ 
thorities at Washington to conclude a military negotia¬ 
tion with an officer whom they refused to acknowledge 
as a lawful warrior. But it affords additional evidence 
of the resentful feelings which they cherish toward 
Mosby. 

On the receipt of these papers, Colonel Mosby dis¬ 
patched Lieutenant Colonel Chapman with a letter ad- 


The Last Review. 


471 


dressed to Major General Hancock, of which this is a 
copy: 

“April 15th, 1865. 

“Major General W. S. Hancock, Commanding, etc. : 

“ General, —I am in receipt of a letter from your Chief of Stalf, 
Brigadier General Morgan, inclosing copies of correspondence be¬ 
tween Generals Grant and Lee, and informing me that you would 
appoint an officer of equal rank with myself to arrange details for 
the surrender of the forces under my command. As yet I have no 
notice through any other source of the facts concerning the surren¬ 
der of the Army of Northern Virginia; nor, in my opinion, has the 
emergency yet arisen which would justify the surrender of my com¬ 
mand. With no disposition, however, to cause the useless effusion 
of blood, or to inflict on a war-worn population any unnecessary 
distress, I am ready to agree to a suspension of hostilities for a 
short time, in order to enable me to communicate with my own au¬ 
thorities, or until I can obtain sufficient intelligence to determine 
my future action. Should you accede to this proposition, I am 
ready to meet any person you may designate to arrange the terms 
of an armistice. % 

“ I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

“John S. Mosby, Colonel C. S. A.” 

In reply to this letter, Colonel Chapman brought back 
the following communication from Major General Han¬ 
cock : 

“Headquarters Middle Military Division,) 
Winchester, Va., April 16th, 1865. ) 

“ To Colonel John S. Mosby, C. S. A.: 

“ Colonel, —Major General Hancock directs me to acknowledge 
the receipt of your communication, by the hand of Lieutenant Col¬ 
onel Chapman, of the 15th instant, in reply to mine of the 11th. 

“ The general does not think it is necessary to designate an offi¬ 
cer to meet you to arrange an armistice, as you suggest. 

“ Understanding, however, your motives in hesitating to surren¬ 
der your command without definite intelligence from your former 
superiors, the general is very willing to allow a reasonable time for 
you to acquire the information you desire. It is not practicable 
for you to communicate with General Lee, as he is no longer in au¬ 
thority. Lieutenant Colonel Chapman, the bearer of your commu¬ 
nication, has been furnished with such evidence as will undoubted¬ 
ly satisfy you that farther resistance on the part of your command 


472 Partisan Life with Mosby. 

can result in no good to tlie cause in which you have been en- 
gaged. 

“ In view of these facts, the general will not operate against your 
command until Tuesday next, at 12 M., provided there are no hos¬ 
tilities from your command. 

“ This agreement to be understood to include the Department of 
Washington and the Potomac River line. It is possible some diffi¬ 
culty may arise from the operation of guerrilla parties not of your 
command, but the general hopes you can control the whole matter. 

“ On Tuesday, at noon, the general will send an officer of equal 
rank with yourself to Millwood, to meet you and ascertain your 
determination, and, if you conclude to surrender your command, to 
arrange the details. Lieutenant Colonel Chapman will be able to 
give all the information you desire as to the probable terms. 

“ If you consent to the above arrangements, please notify Briga¬ 
dier General Chapman, at Berryville, as soon as practicable. 

“Very respectfully,your obedient servant, 

“ C. H. Morgan, Brevet Brig. Gen. and Chief of Staff.” 

Mosby at once communicated with General Chapman, 
whose headquarters were at Berryville, and on the 18th 
of April, at 11 A.M., a conference was agreed to be held 
at Millwood. Not being able, on account of unforeseen 
causes, to reach Millwood at the appointed hour, Colonel 
Mosby sent Captain Tom Richards and Captain Robert 
Walker in advance to acquaint the Federal officers dele¬ 
gated to meet him with the reasons for his detention. 
Walker and Richards, in accordance with this order, 
crossed the Shenandoah, and, with a handkerchief un¬ 
furled for a flag, galloped rapidly toward Millwood. The 
Federals were on the ground, and the two harbingers 
were conducted at Mr. Clarke’s house to the presence 
of General Chapman and other Federal officers. Soon 
Mosby arrived with an escort of fifteen men, and all eyes 
were riveted on him.* 

The result of the conference was a stipulation that 

* The author, at the request of Colonel Mosby, was present on 
this occasion, as it had been already arranged that he should write 
this history. 


The Last Review. 


473 


there should be a cessation of hostilities for two days, 
ending at noon on the 20th of April. The agreement 
concluded with this covenant: 

“ Colonel Mosby to use his influence and authority in the mean 
time to prevent any acts of hostility by bands or organizations of 
Confederate soldiers operating from Loudoun or Fauquier counties. 

“ (Signed), Geokge H. Chapman, Brig. General U. S. Yols. 

John S. Mosby, Colonel C. S. A 

“Millwood, April 18th, 1865.” 

At the same time the following compact was signed 
by the two officers, subject to Major General Hancock’s 
approval, which was withheld, as will be seen from his 

letter, as given below. 

. A 

“ A cessation of hostilities is hereby agreed upon between the 
forces of the United States commanded by General Hancock, and 
the forces of the Confederate States commanded by Colonel John 
S. Mosby. 

“This cessation to be subject to the approval of General Han¬ 
cock ; if approved, to be in force for ten (10) days, commencing on 
the 20th of April at 12 M., and ending on the 30th at 12 M. 

“ Colonel Mosby to be notified at Millwood of the approval or 
disapproval of this agreement by 12 noon of April 20th. 

“ Colonel Mosby to use his authority and influence to prevent 
any acts of hostility being perpetrated or attempted by any bands 
or organizations of Confederate soldiers operating from Loudoun or 
Fauquier counties. 

“ This agreement is made with the understanding that, in case 
during this interval the army opposed to the army of General Sher¬ 
man shall capitulate or be dispersed, Colonel Mosby will disband 
his organization (the 43d Virginia Battalion). 

“ Geo. LI. Chapman, Brig. General U. S. Yols. 

“ J ohn S. Mosby, Colonel C. S. A. 

“Millwood, April 18, 1865.” 

“ Headquarters Middle Military Division, 19th April, 1865. 

“Colonel, —Major General Hancock, commanding Middle Mili¬ 
tary Division, directs me to say that he has confirmed the exten¬ 
sion of the cessation of hostilities until noon of the 20th, arranged 
at Millwood on the 18th between Brigadier General Chapman, 
IT. S. Volunteers, and yourself; but General Hancock can see no 


474 


Partisan Life with Mosby. 

sufficient reasons why the cessation of hostilities should be con¬ 
tinued. The truce will therefore cease at noon on the 20th be¬ 
tween the forces commanded by Major General Hancock and your 
troops, unless you should decide to surrender at or before that 
time on the conditions previously offered and explained by Lieu¬ 
tenant General Grant, which are inclosed. 

“ The officer bearing the flag will wait at Millwood until 12 M. 
to hear your decision. Unless you then announce your immediate 
surrender, he will return. In case of your surrender, the arrange¬ 
ments will be immediately perfected at Millwood. Truce of hos¬ 
tilities in such case will only refer to that point, and be of such 
duration as only to allow time to prepare and sign the paroles and 
receive the public property. After the expiration of this truce, 
General Hancock is commanded not to offer you or your men terms 
again. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

“ W. G. Mitchell, Brevet Colonel and A. D. C. 

“To Colonel John S. Mosby, C. S. A., Commanding, etc., Millwood,Va.” 

On tlie 20tli of April, when Colonel Mosby returned 
to Millwood, the following letter from General Hancock 
was placed in his hands, which yon will perceive extends 
to him the same terms offered to other Confederate offi¬ 
cers : 

“Headquarters Cavalry, Middle Military Division, April 19th, 1865. 

“ Colonel,— Major General Hancock directs me to say to you 
that the following instructions have been telegraphed to him in 
reference to Confederate officers or soldiers who surrender: 

“Washington, D. C., April 19th, 1865. 

“ To Major General Hancock : 

“You may receive all rebel officers or soldiers who surrender to 
you on exactly the same terms that were given to General Lee, 
except have it distinctly understood that all who claim homes in 
states that never passed Ordinances of Secession have forfeited 
them, and can only return on compliance with the amnesty procla¬ 
mation. Maryland, Kentucky, Delaware, and Missouri are such 
states. They may return to West Virginia on their parole. 

“ (Signed), LT. S. Grant, Lieutenant General. 

“ I am, colonel, very respectfully, 

“ C. McK. Grosee, A. A. A. G. 

“ Colonel J. S. Mosby, C. S. A.” 

At Salem, the 21st of April, 1865, Mosby assembled 
the Partisan Battalion for the last time. It contained at 


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476 Partisan Life iviih Mosby. 

this elate on its muster-rolls the names of seven hundred 
men, of whom one hundred were in prison. The rest 
were present for duty, dressed in Confederate gray, with 
drab hats and nodding black plumes, and mounted on 
the best horses, and supplied with the best arms and 
equipments which the Northern cavalry could furnish. 
As for the last time Mosby glanced his experienced eye 
along their serried ranks, drawn up in the level field to 
the south of the town, they presented an a]3pearance of 
which any commander might justly be proud, for in point 
of style, arms, equipment, and efficiency, the Partisan Bat¬ 
talion was, without doubt, the foremost body of cavalry 
in either army; and when contrasted with the handful 
of borrowed men with whom their leader began his glori¬ 
ous career, his extraordinary talents, exercised under ad¬ 
verse influences, for organization, preservation, and com¬ 
mand stood confessed. Indeed, he had plunged the in¬ 
fant Mars in a bath of fire and blood, and the child had 
come forth a renowned warrior, invigorated for the con¬ 
test and adorned with glory, though seamed with many 
a scar. 

A copy of the following address was then given to the 
commanding officers of the squadrons, and by them read 
to their men: 

“ Fauquier County, April 21st, 1865. 

“ Soldiers, —I have summoned you together for the last time. 
The vision we cherished of a free and independent country has 
vanished, and that country is now the spoil of a conqueror. I dis¬ 
band your organization in preference to surrendering to our ene¬ 
mies. I am no longer your commander. After an association of 
more than two eventful years, I part from you with a just pride in 
the fame of your achievements, and grateful recollections of your 
generous kindness to myself. And now, at this moment of bidding 
you a final adieu, accept the assurance of my unchanging confidence 
and regard. Farewell! John S. Mosby, Colonel.” 

As soon as the military bond was severed, there fol- 


The Last Review. 


477 


lowed a scene which beggars description. The sternest 
natures dissolved in tears, for the men then discovered 
how strong were the personal sympathies which bound 
them to each other and to the chieftain of whom they 
were so proud. In broken ranks they crowded around 
him, and, amid tears and protestations of confidence and 
fidelity, assured him that at the first bugle-note they 
would rally again to his standard. 





APPENDIX. 


ACCOUNT OF PRIVATE M‘CUE’S IMPRISONMENT. 

[The following facts in regard to the treatment of M‘Cue have, at my request, 
been furnished me by a gentleman well acquainted with them. They present a 
picture of despotism and cruelty rarely witnessed in a Christian country, but they 
bear, at the same time, honorable testimony to the fidelity with which General Grant 
adhered to the engagements which he contracted at Appomattox Court-house.— 
Editor.] 

From Annapolis he was removed to Baltimore and cast into a 
negro jail, where his treatment was that of a convict. He was 
heavily ironed, and confined in a dark, cold cell, and when a fellow- 
prisoner, through the iron-bars of his dungeon, gave him a blanket, 
the order was given to the prison-guard to take it away. Very 
soon a man dressed in Confederate uniform was put in the cell 
with M‘Cue, and left to spend the night with him. The stranger 
made advances toward an acquaintance, asked his fellow-prison¬ 
er his name, to what command he belonged, and the charges pre¬ 
ferred against him, and at the same time told him that he himself 
was under charges as a Confederate, and was to be tried by a mil¬ 
itary commission. He doubted not, he added, that both of them 
would be sentenced to the gallows. “I have a proposition to 
make to you, for there is but one way in which we can save our 
lives—to rush upon the guard, seize their arms, and murder them. 
In the confusion thus created, an opportunity may occur for our es¬ 
cape.” The proposition was so wild and impossible of execution 
that M‘Cue at once saw in it a snare prepared for his destruction. 
So he very quietly said to his companion, “ You may attempt to 
murder the guard and make your escape, but I will have nothing 
to do with it.” He knew he was a detective. 

This conspiracy having failed, he was then carried before the 
provost-marshal, who told him that the only chance for life afford- 
ed was to confess his guilt and throw himself upon the mercy of 
the court. To this he replied, “ I am a Confederate soldier, en- 
o-ao-ed in legitimate warfare. I belong to Mosby’s Partisan Bat¬ 
talion, which is not a guerrilla band. I believe there is a prede- 



480 


Appendix. 


termined purpose to take my life, and I will not appear before my 
Maker with a false plea stamped upon my conscience. I am a law¬ 
ful soldier, and have no excuse, apology, or confession to make.” 

The provost-marshal left him, saying that he was the most hard¬ 
ened villain he had ever'come in contact with, and that death by 
the gallows inevitably awaited him. 

At the end of four days the Partisan Ranger was removed to 
the city jail of Baltimore, where he received from the keeper hu¬ 
mane treatment. An order for a military commission to assemble 
at Baltimore was soon issued for the trial of such offenders as 
might be brought before it. The charges on which M‘Cue was ar¬ 
raigned were as follows: 

1st. The murder of Richard N. Ryon, a detective officer in the 
service of the United States. 

2d. Assault with intent to kill and murder one Jeremiah Cof- 
fron, by discharging at the head of said Coffron a loaded pistol, 
thereby inflicting a serious and dangerous wound. 

3d. Violation of the laws of war as laid down in general orders, 
etc. 

The plea of the prisoner was, of course, “ Not guilty.” 

The finding in reference to the first charge—murder—is so sin¬ 
gular and unprecedented in criminal jurisprudence, that I can not 
forbear giving it verbatim: “ Guilty, except with malice afore¬ 
thought.” 

The court acquitted the prisoner of malice aforethought, and to 
acquit him of the malice is to acquit him of the crime, for malice 
every tyro in law knows is the essential element of murder. 

After this finding the record goes on to say, 

“And the commission do therefore sentence him, the said John 
W. M‘Cue, to be imprisoned at hard labor for and during the peri¬ 
od of his natural life , in such penitentiary or place of confinement 
as the commanding general may designate.” 

At a subsequent date the following order was published, to wit: 

“ Head-quarters, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps,) 
Baltimore, May 18th, 1865. ) 

“ The proceedings, finding, and sentence in the foregoing case of John W. 
M‘Cue are approved and confirmed, and the sentence will be carried into execu¬ 
tion. The commanding general designates Clinton Prison, New York, as the place 
of confinement of the Prisoner. 

“(Signed), Lew. Wallace, Major General Commanding.” 

The trial was suspended a few days, that the father of the prison¬ 
er and Captain Halsey, then confined as prisoners of war at Fort 
Delaware, might be summoned to testify in behalf of the defense. 


481 


Appendix. 

The prisoner was brought into court heavily ironed, and the ex¬ 
amination of the witnesses was begun. The point on which the 
examination chiefly turned was as to the status of Mosby’s com¬ 
mand in the Confederate government. Their evidence was clear 
and decided: that Mosby was a commissioned officer, his command 
organized by virtue of an act of Congress, and that it was part and 
parcel of the Army of Northern Virginia, under the supreme con¬ 
trol of General Lee, which negatived the idea that the Partisan 
Battalion was a band of lawless banditti. But it all went for 
naught with the military commission, and they sentenced this 
brave soldier of General Lee to spend the remainder of his life in 
expiating among felons an offense which he had not committed. 

On the 17th of July, 1865, he was removed in chains to Clinton 
Prison, New York, near Lake Champlain, where he was shaved, 
washed, hair cut, and coarse prison clothes put upon him; was 
first put to striking in the blacksmith’s shop, and then put to cut¬ 
ting nails by machinery. Each day he was required to work elev¬ 
en hours. One hour was allowed for meals; and the prisoner was 
forbidden, under a heavy penalty, to speak to any one except to his 
keeper, and then only on business. This was the routine for the 
day, and the night was no relief to the day, for he was locked up 
alone in a cell ten feet by four. The only relaxation of this sever¬ 
ity was that he was allowed on Sunday to attend religious exer¬ 
cises in the chapel. The Reverend Mr. Canfield was chaplain of 
the prison, who extended to the prisoner, in his deep affliction, 
kindness and sympathy. He was a Christian gentleman, which 
embraces every virtue. 

With a negro convict M‘Cue worked side by side, and was re¬ 
quired to walk to and from the mess-hall with him. Together they 
daily took their meals. His name was Joseph Oliver, the best 
friend and more of a gentleman than any man the prisoner met 
with, except the chaplain and the foreman, Mr. Gay. 

During this period of suffering the unfortunate young man re¬ 
ceived from his parents and friends in Virginia letters assuring him 
that every effort was being made to procure his pardon. His fa¬ 
ther was released from the military prison about the 1st of July, 
and went vigorously to work in his son’s behalf, and did not relax 
his efforts until his liberation was accomplished. The means with 
which he worked were petitions signed by many thousand citizens 
of Virginia, including some of the best names in the state, address¬ 
ed to the President, to which were added the weight of letters and 
personal appeals. Among these letters was one which deserves 
your especial attention, an extract from which I give. It is from 

II H 


482 


Appendix. 


Colonel'S. M. Bowman, president of the commission that tried him, 
dated New York, October 6th, 1865, and is addressed to the Presi¬ 
dent of the United States. Here is the extract: “He had a trial 
before a court composed chiefly of young officers, not one of whom 
(except myself) had ever read a law-book, and knew but little 
about any system of jurisprudence—had never sat on a jury, and 
probably never witnessed a trial of a case in court. The time of 
the trial was just after the assassination of President Lincoln , when 
the temper of the country was averse to any thing like leniency .” 

But these efforts in the cause of justice and humanity appear to 
have been fruitless, until the case was brought to the attention of 
General Grant, to whom, and to Captain James McGuire, of Wash¬ 
ington City—a big-hearted and big-brained Irishman—the great 
secular head of the Catholic Church in and about Washington, the 
prisoner was indebted for the consummation of his pardon. On the 
8th of November, 1865, they appeared together before the Presi¬ 
dent, and did not leave him till the object was accomplished. 
General Grant took the bold position that there had been suffering 
enough occasioned by this war, and the time had come for the pris¬ 
on-doors to be thrown open and the captives set free. The elo¬ 
quent and energetic appeal was not unavailing, for before they left 
him the President had granted the pardon for which they petition¬ 
ed. It is but just to the claims of nature to add that it was ma¬ 
ternal solicitude and love which procured this powerful interces¬ 
sion, and revealed to General Grant this act of despotism and cruel¬ 
ty which had been practiced under the color of military law. 


DESCRIPTION OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY. 

[By the express permission of Lieutenant General Early, I introduce here the 
comprehensive and lucid description of the Valley of the Shenandoah given by that 
distinguished officer in his able and interesting “Memoir of the Last Year of the 
War for Independence.”— Editor.] 

“The Valley of Virginia, in its largest sense, embraces all that 
country lying between the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains, 
which unite at its southwestern end. 

“The Shenandoah Valley, Avliich is a part of the Valley of Vir¬ 
ginia, embraces the counties of Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah, 
Page, Warren, Clarke, Frederick, Jefferson, and Berkeley. This 
valley is bounded on the north by the Potomac, on the south by 
the county of Rockbridge, on the east by the Blue Ridge, and on 
the west by the Great North Mountain and its ranges. 



Appendix . 


483 


“ The Shenandoah River is composed of two branches, called, re¬ 
spectively, the ‘ North Fork’ and the ‘ South Fork,’ which unite near 
Front Royal, in Warren County. The North Fork rises in the 
Great North Mountain, and runs eastwardly to within a short dis¬ 
tance of New Market, in Shenandoah County, and thence northeast 
by Mount Jackson to Strasburg, where it turns east to Front Roy¬ 
al. The South Fork is formed by the union of North River, Mid¬ 
dle River, and South River. North River and Middle River, run¬ 
ning from the west, unite near Port Republic, in Rockingham Coun¬ 
ty. South River rises in the southeastern part of Augusta, and 
runs by Waynesboro, along the western base of the Blue Ridge, to 
Port Republic, where it unites with the stream formed by the junc¬ 
tion of the North and Middle Rivers. From Port Republic the 
South Fork of the Shenandoah runs northeast, through the eastern 
border of Rockingham and the county of Page, to Front Royal, in 
Warren County. 

“The North Fork and South Fork are separated by the Massa- 
nutten Mountain, which is connected with no other mountain, but 
terminates abruptly at both ends. Its northern end is washed at 
its base, just below Strasburg, by the North Fork. Its southern 
end terminates near the road between Harrisonburg ahd Conrad’s 
Store on the South Fork, at which latter place the road through 
Swift Run Gap, in the Blue Ridge, crosses that stream. Two val¬ 
leys are thus formed, the one on the North Fork being called ‘The 
Main Valley,’ and the other on the South Fork, and embracing the 
county of Page and part of the county of Warren, being usually 
known by the name of‘The Luray Valley.’ The Luray Valley 
unites with the main valley at both ends of the mountain. There 
is a good road across Massanutten Mountain from one valley to the 
other, through a gap near New Market. South of this gap there is 
no road across the mountain, and north of it the roads are very rug¬ 
ged, and not practicable for the march of a large army with its 
trains. At the northern or lower end of Massanutten Mountain, 
and between two branches of it, is a valley called ‘ Powell’s Fort 
Valley,’ or more commonly ‘ The Fort.’ This valley is accessible 
only by the very rugged roads over the mountain which have been 
- mentioned, and through a ravine at its lower end. From its isola¬ 
ted position, it was not the theatre of military operations of any 
consequence, but merely furnished a refuge for deserters, stragglers, 

and fugitives from the battle-fields. 

“ From Front Royal the Shenandoah River runs along the west¬ 
ern base of the Blue Ridge to Harper’s Ferry, where it unites 
with the Potomac, which here bursts through the mountains. The 


484 


Appendix. 


mountain in extension of the range of the Blue Ridge from this 
point through Maryland and Pennsylvania is called ‘ South Mount¬ 
ain.’ 

“ Strictly speaking, the county of Berkeley and the greater part 
of Frederick are not in the Valley of the Shenandoah. The Ope- 
quon, rising southwest of Winchester, and crossing the Valley Pike 
four or five miles south of that place, turns to the north and empties 
into the Potomac some distance above its junction with the Shen¬ 
andoah ; the greater part of Frederick and nearly the whole of 
Berkeley being on the western side of the Opequon. 

“Little North Mountain, called in the lower valley ‘North 
Mountain,’ runs northeast through the western portions of Shenan¬ 
doah, Frederick, and Berkeley counties to the Potomac. At its 
northern end, where it is called North Mountain, it separates the 
waters of the Opequon from those of Back Creek. 

“ Cedar Creek rises in Shenandoah County, west of Little North 
Mountain, and, running northeast along its western base, passes 
through that mountain four or five miles from Strasburg, and, then 
making a circuit, empties into the North Fork of the Shenandoah 
about two miles below Strasburg. 

“ The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad crosses the Potomac at Har¬ 
per’s Ferry, and, passing through Martinsburg, in Berkeley County, 
crosses Back Creek near its mouth, runs up the Potomac, crossing 
the south branch of that river near its mouth, and then the North 
Branch to Cumberland, in Maryland. From this place it runs into 
Virginia again, and, passing through Northwestern Virginia, strikes 
the Ohio River by two stems terminating at Wheeling and Parkers¬ 
burg respectively. 

“There is a railroad from Harper’s Ferry to Winchester, called 
‘The Winchester and Potomac Railroad,’ and also one from Manas¬ 
sas Junction, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, through Ma¬ 
nassas Gap in the Blue Ridge, by Front Royal and Strasburg, to 
Mount Jackson, called ‘The Manassas Gap Railroad;’ but both of 
these roads were torn up and rendered unserviceable in the year 
1862 , under the orders of General Jackson. 

“ From Staunton, in Augusta County, there is a fine macadamized 
road called‘The Valley Pike,’ running through Mount Sydney, 
Mount Crawford, Harrisonburg, New Market, Mount Jackson, Edin¬ 
burg, Woodstock, Strasburg, Middletown, Newtown, Bartonsville, 
and Kearnstown to Winchester, in Frederick County, and crossing 
Middle River seven miles from Staunton, North River at Mount 
Crawford, eighteen miles from Staunton, the North Fork of the 
Shenandoah at Mount Jackson, Cedar Creek, between Strasburg and 


485 


Appendix, 

Middletown, and the Opequon at Bartonsville, four or five miles 
from Winchester. There is also another road west of the Valley 
Pike, connecting these several villages, called the 4 Back Road,’ and, 
in some places, another road between the Valley Pike and the Back 
Road, which is called the ‘ Middle Road.’ 

“ From Winchester there is a macadamized road, via Martins- 
burg, to Williamsport, on the Potomac, in Maryland, and another 
via Berryville, in Clarke County, and Charlestown, in Jefferson 
County, to Harper’s Ferry. There is also a good pike from Win¬ 
chester to Front Royal, which crosses both forks of the Shenando¬ 
ah just above their junction; and from Front Royal there are good 
roads up the Luray Valley, and by the way of Conrad’s Store and 
Port Republic, to Harrisonburg and Staunton. 

“From Staunton south there are good roads passing through 
Lexington in Rockbridge County, and Buchanan in Botetourt 
County, to several points on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, 
and others direct from Staunton and Lexington to Lynchburg. 

“ The Central Railroad, from Richmond, passes through the Blue 
Ridge, with a tunnel at Rock-fish Gap, and runs through Waynes¬ 
boro and Staunton westwardly to Jackson’s River, which is one of 
the head streams of James River. 

“ This description of the country is given in order to render the 
following narrative intelligible without too much repetition. 

“In the spring of 1864, before the opening of the campaign, the 
lower Shenandoah Valley was held by the Federal troops under 
Major General Sigel, with his head-quarters at Winchester, while 
the upper Valley was held by Brigader General Imboden, of the 
Confederate army, with one brigade of cavalry or mounted infant¬ 
ry, and a battery of artillery. When the campaign opened Sigel 
moved up the Valley, and Major General Breckinridge moved from 
Southwestern Virginia, with two brigades of infantry and a bat¬ 
talion of artillery, to meet him. Breckinridge, having united his 
forces with Imboden’s, met and defeated Sigel at New Market on 
the 15th day of May, driving him back toward Winchester. Breck¬ 
inridge then crossed the Blue Ridge, and joined General Lee at 
Hanover Junction with his two brigades of infantry and the bat¬ 
talion of artillery. Subsequently the Federal General Hunter or¬ 
ganized another and larger force than Sigel’s, and moved up the 
Valley, and on the 5th day of June defeated Brigadier General 
William E. Jones at Piedmont, between Port Republic and Staun¬ 
ton, Jones’s force being composed of a very small body of infantry, 
and a cavalry force which had been brought from Southwestern 
Virginia after Breckinridge’s departure from the Valley. Jones 


486 


Appendix. 


was killed, and the remnant of his force, under Brigadier General 
Vaughan, fell hack to Waynesboro. Hunter’s force then united 
with another column which had moved from Lewisburg, in West¬ 
ern Virginia, under the Federal General Crook. As soon as in¬ 
formation was received of Jones’s defeat and death, Breckinridge 
was sent back to the Valley with the force he had brought with 
him.” 


THE CONQUERED BANNER. 

BY FATHER RYAN. 

Furl that banner, for ’tis weary; 

Round its staff ’tis drooping dreary; 

Furl it—fold it—it is best, 

For there’s not a man to wave it, 

And there’s not a sword to save it, 

And there’s not one left to lave it 
In the blood which heroes gave it, 

And its foes now scorn and brave it— 
Furl it—hide it—let it rest. 

Furl that banner, for ’tis tattered; 

Broken is its staff, and shattered, 

And the valiant hosts lie scattered 
O’er whom it floated high. 

Oh, ’tis hard for us to fold it, 

Hard that there is none to hold it, 

Hard that those who once unrolled it 
Now must furl it with a sigh. 

Furl that banner, furl it sadly; 

Once ten thousands hailed it gladly, 

And ten thousands wildly, madly 
Swore it should forever wave. 

Swore that foemen’s swords should never 
Hearts entwined like theirs dissever 
Till that flag should float forever 
O’er their freedom or their graves. 

Furl it, for the hands that grasped it, 

And the hearts that fondly clasped it, 



Appendix. 


487 


Cold and dead are lying low; 

And that banner it is trailing. 

While around it sounds the wailing 
Of its people in their woe; 

For,though conquered,they adore it; 
Love the cold, dead hands that bore it; 
Weep for those who fell before it; 
Pardon those who trailed and tore it; 
For oh, wildly we deplore it, 

Now to furl and fold it so. 

Furl that banner, for ’tis gory, 

Yet ’tis wreathed around with glory, 
And ’twill live in song and story 
Though its folds are in the dust; 

For its fame on brightest pages, 

Penned by poets and by sages, 

Shall go sounding down the ages, 

Furl its folds though now we must. 

Furl that banner, furl it slowly ; 

Treat it gently—for ’tis holy, 

For it droops above our dead; 

Touch it not—unfurl it never— 

Let it droop thus furled forever, 

For its people’s hopes are fled. 


REPLY TO “ THE CONQUERED BANNER,” 

BY SIR II. HOUGHTON, Bart., England. 

Gallant nation, foiled by numbers, 

Say not that your hopes are fled; 

Keep that glorious flag that slumbers 
One day to avenge your dead. 

Keep it widowed, sonless mothers, 

Keep it sisters, mourning brothers— 

Furl it with an iron will; 

Furl it now, but—keep it still. 

Think not that its work is done. 

Keep it till your children take it 
Once again to hail and make it 



488 


Appendix. 


All their sires have bled and fought for, 
All their noble hearts have sought for, 
Bled and fought for all alone. 

All alone ! ay, shame the story— 
Millions here deplore the stain— 
Shame, alas ! for England’s glory— 
Freedom called, and called in vain. 
Furl that banner sadly, slowly, 

• Treat it gently, for ’tis holy, 

Till that day—yes, furl it sadly, 

Then once more unfurl it gladly— 
Conquered banner, keep it still. 


GETTYSBURG. 

BY EDWARD WARREN, M.D., late Surgeon General, N. C. 

From the hills of the West to the shores of the sea, 
From the yellow Roanoke to the distant Pedee, 

A wild wail of sorrow ascendeth on high 

For the heroes who bleed, and the martyrs who die. 

The hearts of our fathers are breaking with pain, 

And the tears of our mothers descending like rain, 

For the loved and the lost who homeward no more 
Return from the field so red with their gore. 

That banner of bars, which so proudly hath flown 
Where the demon of carnage claimed all as his own, 
Now droops in its gloom, while the cypress is seen 
Entwined with the laurels on its glittering sheen. 

The foemen exult as they bury the slain 
Who fell in the charge on that terrible plain; 

For Carolina’s brave sons—the pride of the South— 

Lie covered with glory at the dread cannon’s mouth. 

Ah ! well may they gloat o’er the work they have done, 
And boast of the field they so dearly have won, 

When the hearts of such heroes forever are still 
As fought at Manassas, and Malvern’s proud hill; 



Appendix. 


489 


And at Bethel and Sharpsburg, all reckless of death, 
Came down on the fo.e like the hurricane’s breath, 

And scattered his legions o’er mountain and lea, 

As the leaves of the forest or foam of the sea. 

But hark ! as we mourn for the “ good and the true”— 
For Marshall, Burgwin, and the brave Pettigrew, 
Through forest and city, o’er river and plain, 

A wild cry for vengeance re-echoes again. 

For the noble old state—thank God for the sight!— 

Is burning and arming once more for the fight; 

And, dashing the tear from her sorrowing eye, 

By Jehovah she swears to conquer or die. 

Proud men of the North, from the rebels ye spurn, 

A lesson of blood you will speedily learn; 

And though jubilant now, beware ! oh, beware ! 

For your boastings shall turn to wails of despair. 


SOMEBODY’S DARLING. 

BY A YOUNG LADY OF SAVANNAH. 

Into a ward of whitewashed walls, 

Where the dead and the dying lay, 
Wounded by bayonets, shells, and balls, 
Somebody’s darling was borne one day. 
Somebody’s darling, so young and so brave, 
Wearing yet on his pale, sweet face, 

Soon to be hid by the dust of the grave, 

The lingering light of his boyhood’s grace. 

Matted and damp are the curls of gold 

Kissing the snow of that fair young brow; 
Pale are the lips of delicate mould— 
Somebody’s darling is dying now. 

Back from his beautiful blue-veined brow 
Brush all the wandering waves of gold, 
Cross his hands on his bosom now— 
Somebody’s darling is still and cold. 



490 


Appendix. 


Kiss him once for somebody’s sake, 

Murmur a prayer soft and low; 

One bright curl from its fair mates take— 
They were somebody’s pride, you know. 

Somebody’s hand hath rested there— 

Was it a mother’s, soft and white ? 

And have the lips of a sister fair 

Been baptized in their waves of light ? 

God knows best! he was somebody’s love; 
Somebody’s heart enshrined him there; 

Somebody wafted his name above, 

Night and morn, on the wings of prayer. 

Somebody wept when he marched away, 
Looking so handsome, brave, and grand; 

Somebody’s kiss on his forehead lay, 
Somebody clung to his parting hand. 

Somebody’s waiting and watching for him, 
Yearning to hold him again to her heart; 

And there he lies with his blue eyes dim, 
And the smiling, childlike lips apart. 

Tenderly bury the fair young dead, 

Pausing to drop on his grave a tear; 

Carve on the wooden slab over his head, 

“ Somebody’s darling slumbers here.” 


In a lecture recently delivered by Father Ryan on the condition 
of the South, the following beautiful passages of prose and poetry 
occur. He said: 

“ A land without ruins is a land without memories—a land with¬ 
out memories is a land without liberty. A land that wears a lau¬ 
rel crown may be fair to see; but twine a few sad cypress leaves 
around the brow of any land, and be that land barren, beautiless, 
and bleak, it becomes lovely in its consecrated coronet of sorrow, 
and it wins the sympathy of the heart and of history. Crowns of 
roses fade—crowns of thorns endure. Calvaries and crucifixions 
take deepest hold of humanity—the triumphs of might are tran¬ 
sient— they pass and are forgotten — the sufferings of right are 
graven deepest on the chronicle of nations.” 



Appendix. 


491 


“ Yes, give me the land where the ruins are spread, 
And the living tread light on the hearts of the dead; 
Yes, give me a land that is bless’d by the dust, 

And bright with the deeds of the down-trodden just. 
Yes, give me the land where the battle’s red blast 
Has flashed on the future the form of the past; 

Yes, give me a land that hath legends and lays, 

That tell of the memories of long vanished days; 

Yes, give me the land that hath story and song, 

To tell of the strife of the right with the wrong; 

Yes, give me a land with a grave on each spot, 

And names in the graves that shall not be forgot; 
Yes, give me the land of the wreck and the tomb— 
There’s grandeur in graves—there’s glory in gloom; 
For out of the gloom future brightness is born, 

As after the night looms the sunrise of morn; 

And the graves of the dead with the grass overgrown, 
May yet form the footstool of liberty’s throne, 

And each single wreck in the war-path of might 
Shall yet be a rock in the temple of right.” 


EARLY AND MOSBY—A STATEMENT CORRECTED. 

The following statement appears in General Early’s Memoir of 
his Yalley Campaign, recently published: 

“ At Sharpsburg I had sent a message to Mosby by one of his 
men, requesting him to cross the Potomac below Harper’s Ferry, 
cut the railroad and telegraph, and give information of the enemy 
east of the ridge. He never crossed the river, and I received no 
information from him.” 

This account of General Early is erroneous, for it was at Sharps¬ 
burg that General Early received a dispatch from Colonel Mosby 
announcing the fact that he had already crossed the river below 
Harper’s Ferry (viz., at Point of Rocks), and had cut the telegraph, 
and broken railroad communication between Harper’s Ferry and 
Washington. Colonel Mosby, as we have seen, crossed the river 
about noon of the 4th of July at Point of Rocks, where the tele¬ 
graph line and railroad are located, immediately on the river bank. 
This movement was his own conception, as General Early had not 
communicated the fact to him that he was moving down the Val¬ 
ley, and it was by an accident he heard of it. General Early, ac¬ 
cording to his own account, did not cross the river until the after- 



492 


Appendix. 


noon of the 5th at Shepherdstown. On the morning of July 5th, 
Colonel Mosby started Lieutenant Beattie and Henry Heaton with 
a dispatch to General Early, informing him what he had done, and 
offering the co-operation of his command with any movement he 
had designed to make. Henry Heaton was selected for this serv¬ 
ice because he was personally well known to General Early as a 
gentleman of intelligence, and from long residence in Loudoun 
County, having a thorough local knowledge of the country in which 
General Early was operating; in the capacity in which he acted as 
a member of Colonel Mosby’s command as a guide and scout, he 
enjoyed peculiar advantages for acquiring information concerning 
the enemy. Beattie and Heaton overtook General Early at Sharps- 
burg, delivered Colonel Mosby’s note, and gave him all the inform¬ 
ation they had about the number and distribution of the enemy’s 
troops east of the Ridge. In order to recover their line of com¬ 
munication, the enemy had brought troops from Muddy Branch 
below, Harper’s Ferry above, and Frederick City; in addition to 
this, a force under Major Forbes had come up from Fairfax, in Col¬ 
onel Mosby’s rear. In this critical condition, with one piece of ar¬ 
tillery posted on the south bank, he kept the railroad communica¬ 
tion broken until dark of the 5th. The day after Forbes’s defeat, 
Heaton and Beattie returned with an oral message from General 
Early announcing his purpose to proceed on to Washington after 
he had manoeuvred the enemy off Maryland Heights. 

Colonel Mosby started once more for Maryland, but, when get¬ 
ting near the Potomac, saw the enemy still in possession of Mary¬ 
land Heights. The whole of the enemy’s force being between Gen¬ 
eral Early and Colonel Mosby, it was almost impossible to find out 
where Early was. The fact was, that Early had abandoned the 
idea of manoeuvring them off Maryland Heights, and marched far¬ 
ther north through Boonsboro Gap; but, while this movement of 
his was going on, almost the entire cavalry force of the enemy was 
kept on the river, below Harper’s Ferry, to repel a crossing, and the 
line of the Potomac was never uncovered in front of Colonel Mosby 
until after the battle of Monocacy. Hence it would have been im¬ 
possible for him to have reached the battle-ground, even if he had 
been apprised of the movement of General Early, through Boons¬ 
boro Gap; but the first announcement he received of it was the 
sound of the guns at the battle of Monocacy. 

This note is compiled from a statement furnished me by Mr. 
Heaton, is corroborated by Lieutenant Beattie, and is inserted at 
the desire of Colonel Mosby. 

THE END. 


X 9 8 






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